(Economic Observation) How does Guangxi, the world's largest free trade zone, set sail with RCEP?

　　China News Service, Nanning, January 1 (Reporter Lin Yanhua, Lin Hao, Lin Jieqi) In the early morning of January 1, a train full of general trade and cross-border e-commerce goods such as electronic components, daily necessities, chemical products, etc., departed from Guangxi Nanning International Railway Hong Kong went to Hanoi, Vietnam, and became the first international freight train to RCEP member countries after the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (RCEP) agreement took effect.

On the same day, Guangxi’s first RCEP certificate of origin was issued at Yongzhou Customs. For the first time, a local company’s dust-free paper products exported to Japan enjoyed tariff reductions and exemptions.

　　As the only province in China connected by land and sea to ASEAN and the permanent venue of the China-ASEAN Expo, how Guangxi will work with RCEP in the future to promote all-round open cooperation has attracted attention from the outside world.

　　Cross-border logistics is fully unblocked in the new land-sea channel in the west

　　Guangxi’s advantage in the implementation of RCEP lies in its unique location of "One Bay Reconciles Eleven Countries, and Benign Interaction Between East, China and West".

Thanks to the strong drive of the new western land-sea channel, the annual container throughput of Guangxi Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port, which connects the “One Belt” and “One Road”, exceeded 6 million TEUs, maintaining a double-digit growth rate for five consecutive years.

In 2021, the new western land-sea channel sea-rail combined trains will exceed 6000 trains, an increase of nearly 33 times, making it the fastest growing international trains in China in recent years.

　　As of the end of 2021, Beibu Gulf Port has 37 foreign trade container routes, of which 28 are from China Unicom to RCEP national ports.

Ma Zhengguo, Deputy General Manager of Beibu Gulf International Port Group Co., Ltd., introduced that in order to serve the newly added cargo transportation needs of RCEP, the group will establish a sound cooperation mechanism with ASEAN ports, prepare for the establishment of a China-ASEAN multimodal transport alliance, and ensure cross-border supply chains. Unblocked.

　　The Pinglu Canal, which is scheduled to start construction this year, will speed up the construction of a major waterway that connects the Yangtze, Pearl, and Beibu Gulf.

After the completion of the canal capable of navigating 3,000 tons of sea vessels, the mileage of Nanning from Qinzhou Port via the Pinglu Canal is only 291 kilometers, which is more than 560 kilometers shorter than that via Guangdong.

　　The new western land and sea passages, Guangxi Youyiguan, Dongxing and other ports are convenient passages from China to Vietnam and ASEAN countries.

In 2021, the freight volume of Youyiguan Port will exceed 3.8 million tons; the number of international freight trains at Pingxiang Railway Port will exceed 1,900, an increase of 56%.

The Chongzuo-Pingxiang railway and the Fangchenggang-Dongxing railway facing ASEAN (the Sino-Vietnam border) are accelerating construction.

　　"The construction of the new land-sea channel in the west has been accelerated, forming a'sea, land and air' cross-border logistics system connecting RCEP member countries in an all-round way and a new channel for international land and sea trade connecting the EU and ASEAN. Guangxi has a variety of transportation methods to RCEP countries and the ability to provide all-weather logistics. "Said Yang Chunting, director of the Department of Commerce of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

　　Build a high-quality implementation of RCEP demonstration area

　　The implementation of RCEP for high-quality docking also requires the formation of an industrial chain and the cultivation of new markets.

The China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone is playing its role as a "test field", building a free trade zone that leads China-ASEAN opening and cooperation, and exploring institutional innovations in financial opening, trade and investment facilitation, and modern service industries.

　　Since December 2021, RCEP Enterprise Service Center, Guangxi Enterprise RCEP Goods Trade Intelligent Service System, Guangxi Goods Trade Potential Commodity List and Guangxi Service Trade Potential List under RCEP have been established or released in Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone.

　　Guangxi Xinzhong Industry Investment Co., Ltd. is optimistic about the business opportunities of RCEP and plans to build a China-ASEAN characteristic commodity gathering center in the Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone.

The company's deputy general manager Weng Junjie said that it will serve RCEP national enterprises through the "international marketing + industrial park + overseas warehouse + cross-border logistics" full-chain operation model.

　　"We will actively implement the new RCEP economic and trade rules, combine Nanning's unique advantages and key industries, explore innovative measures and take the lead in implementation, encourage regional companies to establish overseas warehouses in Vietnam, Thailand and other ASEAN countries, and carry out research on'intellectual property securitization'. Constructing a high-quality implementation of RCEP demonstration zone for ASEAN." said Tan Meigui, deputy director of the Nanning District Management Committee of Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone.

　　RCEP was initiated by ASEAN. As a gateway and window for China to open cooperation with ASEAN, Guangxi has the first-mover advantage of cooperation with ASEAN and a good foundation for expanding services to RCEP.

　　Yuan Bo, deputy director of the Institute of Asian Studies of the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce of China, believes that Guangxi should fully release the RCEP opening dividend, accelerate the docking of new international economic and trade rules, and introduce a batch of "Guangxi experience" for high-quality implementation of RCEP rules. Good RCEP policies and measures in various fields have formed demonstrations across the country.

　　While cultivating the traditional ASEAN market, it should also actively expand trade in goods with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

Make full use of the RCEP tax reduction arrangements, implement trade facilitation measures, expand cooperation with ASEAN countries in the fields of electronic and electrical products, transportation vehicles, and auto parts products, and promote cooperation with the Japanese automobile industry.

　　In terms of strengthening capacity cooperation, Guangxi’s industrial advantages can be used to promote the formation of "Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand + Guangxi + ASEAN" cross-border industries such as electronic information, new chemical materials, Chinese medicinal materials processing, automobiles and new energy vehicles, and ASEAN special product processing. Chain supply chain value chain.

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