When people think of Cambodian crops, rice is often the first thing that comes to mind. Long-grain basmati rice with a faint jasmine flavor occupied the C position of the Cambodian booth in the first four China International Import Expos. But this year, the Cambodian booth facing the door of the food pavilion was not fragrant rice, but purple cashews.
Zhang Long, deputy general manager of the comprehensive business department of Shanghai Kangjian Import and Export Co., Ltd., told China Youth Daily that in the past, China's purple cashews imported mainly came from Vietnam, while Cambodia's cashews were mainly exported to Singapore and Europe, and there was little intersection with China. On January 1 this year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) officially entered into force, and China began to open its doors to more and more Cambodian agricultural products.
"The openness of RCEP (to agricultural products) is mainly reflected in two aspects: one is phased tariff reduction; Second, the number of categories entering the market has increased. We need to seize this opportunity. Zhang Long said that before RCEP came into effect, the largest exporters of agricultural products to China in Southeast Asia were Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries. Under the multilateral framework including RCEP, China-Cambodia trade has been expanding in recent years. Last year, he introduced mangoes from Cambodia, this year he introduced cashew nuts, and will introduce durian and more high-quality agricultural products in the future, and land on the Chinese market through the big stage of the Expo.
Since RCEP came into effect, the opening dividend has been continuously released, and the positive effect on regional economic development is gradually emerging.
Almost a year after its entry into force, RCEP has brought tangible benefits to member countries
According to RCEP, more than 90% of goods trade in the region will eventually achieve zero tariffs, and more than 65% of the service market will be open. At the high-level forum of "RCEP and Higher Level of Openness" at the Expo, ASEAN Secretary-General Lin Yuhui said that the current regional economic growth is affected by many adverse factors, and RCEP is a powerful tool to cope with challenges; Full implementation of RCEP can effectively promote intra-regional investment and accelerate the flow of capital and services.
Singapore Yourong Enterprise Consulting Limited is engaged in the trade of services, providing consulting services to Chinese enterprises and individuals interested in investing in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries. According to Li Yanling, a partner of the company, the process of investing in Singapore is more cumbersome. First of all, it is necessary to file a legal record, then register a company in Singapore, open an overseas bank account, and some businesses also hope to obtain bank credit or apply for government subsidies. In 2021, Yourong Consulting entered China and made its debut at this year's CIIE.
In the process of promoting cross-border investment in the region, Singapore's service trade industry has shared the dividends and witnessed the tangible benefits brought by RCEP. Taking sea freight as an example, Li Yanling said that from the moment the container is unloaded from the ship to a country's terminal, related costs begin to be incurred, especially the storage cost of cold chain products, which is surprisingly high. In some countries, a small freezer costs about $200 per day to store, a large freezer costs about $400 per day, and a container ship has thousands of freezers. After RCEP comes into effect, the customs clearance process can be reduced from 7 days to one or two days, and the cost of a single shipment can save tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan by storing only one item. This not only greatly reduces the economic burden of enterprises, but also increases the circulation of products in the market.
Certificates of origin rewrite the value chain game
The key to shortening the customs clearance process is the "Certificate of Origin" issued by the official authority of origin – one of the most striking highlights of the RCEP agreement. Zhang Long said that under the RCEP framework, Cambodian local official agencies can issue certificates of origin for exported agricultural products to prove that the quality of the product meets the standards, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of customs clearance. In order to ensure the reliability and authority of the Certificate of Origin, China will supervise and guide, and relevant departments will ensure the authenticity and authority of the Certificate of Origin through relevant mechanisms.
As one of the initial initiators of RCEP, Indonesian companies brought coffee, bird's nest, jewelry and other special products at the Expo. According to Andy Li, representative of the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center in Shanghai, during the Expo last year, the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, the Indonesian Consulate General in Shanghai and the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (Shanghai) jointly held the "Indonesia-China Business Forum" and online matchmaking meeting, with the participation of more than 200 Chinese and Indonesian enterprises. This year, the exhibition area was expanded to more than 100 square meters, and a minibar and stage performances were set up to enhance the participation and experience of the audience.
In recent years, the trade volume between China and Indonesia has grown rapidly, with China becoming Indonesia's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years, Indonesia's largest export destination for six consecutive years, and Indonesia's third largest source of investment three years ago. Andy Lee said that the RCEP agreement will significantly promote free trade between China and Indonesia, and the two countries have reached many new cooperation in their respective areas of strength. Through the Expo, China opens the door to the world, "which is conducive to Indonesia exploring more market opportunities and introducing more products to China." More importantly, RCEP can restructure the value chain, increase the proportion of manufacturing in Indonesia's GDP, and diversify the manufacturing industry.
The Chinese market is strongly attractive to RCEP members
Even during the worst period of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the enthusiasm of Singapore companies to participate in the Expo has not diminished, in the words of Cai Jing, head of the Singapore Federation of Commerce and Industry, "can not stop the huge attraction of the Chinese market". In 2020 and 2021, the Singapore Expo Pavilion was the largest overseas business group in the country, and five more companies joined this year, bringing the total number of Singapore exhibitors to 50.
Except for ASEAN countries, all RCEP member countries have enterprises participating in the Expo. Dave Nicholas, director of sales at Holland Dairy from New Zealand, said in an interview that China is the largest and most potential market for any dairy company in New Zealand. Therefore, any initiative that facilitates bilateral economic and cultural exchanges has been warmly welcomed by the New Zealand business community. After the implementation of RCEP, tariffs were gradually reduced, "which means that we can create more added value for Chinese consumers, as well as bring more returns and benefits to shareholders and stakeholders."
For Japan, RCEP has a more special meaning – in fact, it is the first time that China and Japan have established bilateral free trade relations. Tomonari Watanaburi, head of the Japanese company Meiji, said that if RCEP can continue to be implemented, trade relations between China and Japan will become more and more active, which is undoubtedly good news.
As a well-known Japanese company that has been deeply engaged in the Chinese market for many years, this year is the first time Meiji has participated in the Expo. Watanabu explained that in 2022, Meiji will merge its subsidiaries in the four fields of chocolate, dairy, ice cream and nutritional food into one and appear at the Expo as a unified image. He said that while Meiji had grown in scale, the integration of new companies was "like a second venture for us." Through a stage such as the Expo, Meiji gained widespread attention and exceeded expectations. "China is Meiji's most important overseas market, and it is also the most attractive and potential market." Watanobu said.
China Youth Daily / China Youth Network reporter Hu Wenli Source: China Youth Daily
Source: China Youth Daily