General

In the production base of Guangxi Jingui Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group Asia Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd., on the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi, there are 6 trucks full of white cardboard going to the nearby Qinzhou Port every day. These white cardboard boxes will be shipped to ASEAN markets such as Thailand for packaging of medicines, cosmetics, and electronic products.

More than half a year after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into effect, the scope of its implementation has continued to expand. RCEP, the free trade agreement with the largest population, the largest economic and trade scale and the most development potential in the world, has significantly reduced the cost of intra-regional trade.

Zhou Ju, head of customs affairs of the logistics department of Guangxi Jingui Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd., said that using the rules of accumulation of origin, the company's imported raw materials from ASEAN countries, such as wood chips, wood pulp, starch, etc., fully meet the value-added 40% of export products after accounting. Cumulative standards of origin, so that customers can enjoy preferential tariffs and enhance the competitiveness of enterprises.

Not only the tariff reduction, but the effective implementation of RCEP has brought benefits to the construction and development of the industrial chain in the region. According to the rules of accumulation of origin, as long as the value-added part of the product in the process of processing belongs to 15 member states, and the cumulative value-added exceeds 40%, it can enjoy the corresponding tariff preference. This has brought confidence to the multinational industrial cooperation of many enterprises in the region.

According to Liu Donggui, general manager of Thailand Guitai Company, who has been engaged in the export of agricultural products for many years, RCEP can drive the shaping and expansion of emerging industries in the region in the process of international trade and industrial chain construction, and promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. The company's fresh durian fruits are quickly exported to China. In addition to daily fresh fruit sales, many are purchased for special food and beverages. "No longer worrying about the number of export orders as before, the adjustment of the industrial chain brought about by RCEP will help our agricultural products develop more sales channels."

It is reported that with Nanning as the core, Sinar Mas Group will organically combine the development of forest-pulp-paper integrated industries in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Laos, Cambodia and other places, expand potential economic cooperation with enterprises in ASEAN countries, and realize multi-party cooperation. win-win.

The implementation of RCEP will further facilitate customs clearance in the region, directly drive the rapid development of trade and processing industries, and bring tangible benefits to the economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN countries. Some business operators said that the economic and trade costs and production costs brought by the convenience of customs clearance have allowed them to enjoy real benefits.

Azlime Zakaria, Consul General of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Nanning, believes that China and Malaysia already have a good foundation for cooperation in cross-border e-commerce and its supporting industries. At present, the new crown pneumonia epidemic is still raging around the world, and the implementation of RCEP will improve the It has boosted the confidence of people from all countries in the region. High-tech fields such as the electric vehicle industry are the focus of the next cooperation between the two sides. The cooperation between the two sides in the industrial chain in these areas is promising.

Approved exporters are a highlight of RCEP and an important facilitation measure for origin certification. Seizing the opportunity of RCEP's entry into force, Guangxi Jingui Pulp & Paper became the first customs-approved exporter in Qinzhou in April, and can independently issue a declaration of origin to enjoy preferential tariffs.

"Customs clearance is faster and more convenient. We can flexibly arrange the production and shipment of goods, shorten the document circulation time, reduce the abnormal expenses incurred by customers due to the late arrival of documents at the destination port, and improve customer satisfaction." Zhou Ju said, From January to June this year, 17 certificates of origin were issued for Thailand and other customers, involving a value of 3.4 million US dollars.

The reduction of trade costs and the fast and convenient customs clearance have further consolidated the consensus of all parties concerned, accelerated the level of interconnection, and promoted the accelerated development of multimodal logistics in the region by sea, land and air.

As the forefront of China's opening up to ASEAN, 12 air cargo routes have been opened between Guangxi and ASEAN countries, basically covering major ASEAN countries.

As a gateway port facing ASEAN, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port has further expanded its shipping routes under the favorable drive of RCEP. Since June this year, Guangxi Beibu Gulf has opened a number of new container routes, vigorously promoting container liner exchanges with Vietnam, Japan, Thailand and other countries, and smoothing the regional logistics network.

According to the statistics of China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., in the first half of this year, the radiation range of rail-sea intermodal trains of the new western land-sea channel increased to 14 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and a total of 379,000 TEUs were sent, a year-on-year increase of 33.4%.

After the official entry into force of the RCEP agreement, many favorable policies such as tariff reduction and exemption and the principle of accumulation of origin have been implemented, and economic and trade exchanges between China and the ASEAN region have continued to increase. According to customs data, in the first half of this year, China's imports and exports to ASEAN amounted to 2.95 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.6%.