General

According to the press briefing on the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Hainan Province held by the Hainan Provincial Information Office on July 5, since the implementation of RCEP, trade between Hainan and RCEP member countries has ushered in rapid growth. In terms of trade in goods, from January to May this year, the import and export volume of goods between Hainan and RCEP member countries was 25.79 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 44.1%. Products with faster growth include metal ores and mineral sands, refined oil, beauty, cosmetics and toiletries, organic chemicals, etc. In terms of service trade, from January to May this year, the import and export volume of services between Hainan and RCEP member countries was 2.701 billion yuan, accounting for 21.64% of the total service import and export volume of Hainan Province in the same period. The service import and export achieved full coverage of RCEP member countries, mainly concentrated in Travel, transportation, business, computer, manufacturing and intellectual property services.

Cai Zhenwei, deputy director of the Hainan Free Trade Port Research Center of the South China Sea Research Institute, said that RCEP is highly compatible with the policy and system design of the Hainan Free Trade Port. With the implementation of a series of free and convenient policies in the fields of free trade port trade, investment, transportation, etc., the opening dividend of the free trade port is more closely integrated with the RCEP agreement, which has effectively promoted the rapid development of trade in goods and services between Hainan and RCEP member countries. increase. Especially before the customs closure of the free trade port, the zero-tariff list of the RCEP agreement greatly enriched the zero-tariff list of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Lin Yong, Director of Haikou Customs Tariff Department, said that RCEP takes promoting trade liberalization and facilitation as its primary task, and involves a lot of work such as customs procedures and trade facilitation, rules of origin, animal and plant quarantine and food safety, and technical barriers to trade. Tariff and non-tariff measures to reduce trade barriers and achieve preferential market access. The effective implementation of RCEP will help promote regional economic growth, enhance the regional business environment, stabilize the regional industrial chain and supply chain, and also help Hainan stabilize foreign trade and foreign investment, and provide assistance for building a new development pattern.

In order to promote the development of trade in goods, the customs effectively ensure that the preferential rules of origin are effective. The reporter learned that as of June 30, 2022, Haikou Customs had issued a total of 93 RCEP certificates of origin, with a visa amount of US$7.62 million.

According to Lin Yong, the customs will release policy dividends at both the import and export ends, implement precise policies, and provide enterprises with import benefits and export origin visa services, mainly from the following three aspects to promote the implementation of RCEP tax reduction:

First, establish and improve the origin management system. The General Administration of Customs issued the "RCEP Origin Management Measures" and "Approved Exporters Management Measures" to make decisions on the origin qualifications, transportation rules, import application and preferential procedures, issuance and verification of export certificates of origin of goods under RCEP. Clearly defined. The promulgation of the "Measures for the Administration of RCEP Origin" marks that the RCEP rules of origin have realized the transformation of domestic legislation. Haikou Customs has stepped up its enforcement efforts to ensure that policies are implemented in place and help enterprises in the jurisdiction to enjoy timely benefits. The second is to build an information system suitable for RCEP origin management needs, further strengthen scientific and technological support, and improve the intelligence level of origin visas. The automatic verification and signature system of the certificate of origin has realized “instant reporting, immediate review, and immediate receipt” 24 hours a day, 365 days a day, and the review efficiency has been improved to the “second level”, which greatly saves the import and export time cost of enterprises. The third is to continuously expand the scope of self-service printing certificates. Currently, certificates of origin exported to Singapore, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Malaysia under RCEP support self-service printing, and enterprises can apply for them without leaving home.

On March 25 this year, Hainan Jinhai Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd. became the first approved exporter under RCEP in Hainan. After that, the enterprise does not need to apply for a certificate of origin through the customs, but only needs to issue a declaration of origin to enjoy the preferential tariffs on imported goods under the RCEP agreement of the importing country, making trade arrangements more convenient. The relevant person in charge of Jinhai Pulp Company said: "We have a large number of ASEAN certificates of origin. After becoming an approved exporter under RCEP, the time for the application of the certificate of origin has been saved, and the company's foreign trade customs clearance efficiency will be greatly improved. Operating costs also decreased.”

In addition, Hainan takes the RCEP incentive obligation as a starting point to further create a good business environment, and continues to consolidate and compress the overall customs clearance effect. It is reported that in 2021, Haikou Customs will carry out a special action to reduce the overall customs clearance time, which will promote the reduction of the overall customs clearance time at Hainan Port. 64.93% and 98.64%; compared with 2020, the reductions were 19.26% and 18.78% respectively, successfully completing the task of "by the end of 2021, the overall customs clearance time will be reduced by half compared with 2017" determined by the State Council. From January to May 2022, the overall customs clearance time for import and export at Hainan Port is 37.71 hours and 0.96 hours respectively, which is better than the national average, significantly reduces the customs clearance cost of enterprises in the jurisdiction, and improves the business environment of Hainan Free Trade Port.