Guangxi's expansion of opening up and cooperation ushered in historic opportunities
On January 1, the RCEP international freight train was dispatched in Guangxi.
The picture shows the container hoisting operation site of the international freight train at Nanning International Railway Port on December 31.
Issued by Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of China Railway Nanning Bureau Group Co., Ltd.)
On January 1, the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" ("RCEP" for short) came into effect, marking the official landing of the free trade zone with the largest population, the largest economic and trade scale, and the most potential for development in the world.
“The dividends brought about by RCEP, such as more open markets and more free and convenient trade and investment, will also be gradually released, which will bring historic opportunities for Guangxi to expand opening up and cooperation.” said Yang Chunting, director of the Department of Commerce of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
On December 30, 2021, the RCEP Enterprise Service Center was inaugurated and established in Nanning City. The platform will create an export-oriented international service carrier that promotes two-way economic and trade investment, technological innovation, and industrial cooperation among Guangxi SMEs, and will become an outpost for Guangxi enterprises to move toward RCEP. The window for RCEP companies to enter China.
On the same day, the Guangxi Department of Commerce also held a symposium with RCEP (ASEAN) consuls and business representatives in China. The guests focused on the theme and carried out in-depth exchanges.
"Guangxi will resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, give full play to its existing cooperation and channel advantages with ASEAN, implement RCEP with high-quality docking, make every effort to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and strive to better transform unique geographical advantages into openness. Development advantages." Yang Chunting said.
"The implementation of RCEP will help Guangxi enterprises plan the layout of overseas industrial chain supply chains." said Wei Hongwen, party secretary and chairman of Guangxi Automobile Group.
Liuzhou is the main port for automobile exports in Guangxi, and there are currently 21 companies exporting automobile products to RCEP member states.
The effective implementation of RCEP will bring more overseas market opportunities to Guangxi automobile manufacturers and bring new breakthroughs to their market development.
As early as 2002, Guangxi Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd. embarked on the journey of internationalization, embarking on an international path from overseas trade, overseas marketing to overseas manufacturing, overseas mergers and acquisitions, and overseas talent training and reserve.
"After the RCEP agreement takes effect, the company will increase its overseas investment in the Asia-Pacific region, enhance market grasp capabilities, customer development capabilities, and anti-risk capabilities, create a development and cooperation plateau for ASEAN to better serve the "Belt and Road", and accelerate the construction of new developments. At the same time, the company will deepen the cross-border manufacturing, marketing, service, accessories and other business systems of new energy machinery in the ASEAN region, and expand the business of new energy products in RCEP countries." said Zeng Guang’an, chairman of Guangxi Liugong Group.
"RCEP's entry into force has brought opportunities for the development of Guangxi's border industries." Experts believe that ASEAN's advantages are mainly labor cost advantages. Its business environment, supporting infrastructure guarantees, and technological innovation capabilities still have a large gap with my country, while Guangxi borders China’s cross-border labor policy can combine the above two elements well.
For example, in conjunction with Guangxi's "Hundred Enterprises Entering the Border" initiative, the introduction of textile and garment enterprises to build factories on the edge is conducive to the comprehensive use of multiple advantages to bring dividends to the enterprise. If the products are exported to the domestic market and exported to the Japanese market, the tariff will be 4.4%~ About 13.4% is gradually reduced until it reaches zero.
Recently, the first phase (lot three) of the China-ASEAN Grain Logistics Industrial Park in Nanning Area of Guangxi Free Trade Pilot Zone undertaken by China Railway Eighth Bureau has successfully completed the topping of the main structure. The project will be put into use soon. Under the promotion of RCEP, the industrial park will Become a China-ASEAN regional international large-scale modern grain logistics center.
Zeng Bochuan, secretary of the party committee and executive director of the third company of China Railway Eighth Bureau, the project contractor, said that with the implementation of RCEP, the company will seize the opportunity to build the China-ASEAN Grain Logistics Industrial Park, Nanheng Expressway and Yupu Expressway with high efficiency and high quality. Actively integrate into the construction of China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, give full play to the advantages of the enterprise, and commit to the construction of Guangxi's infrastructure and transportation network, accelerate the formation of Guangxi's new land-sea channel system, and provide strong support for the development of Guangxi Free Trade Zone.
Wang Lei, Director of Guangxi International Expo Affairs Bureau and Secretary-General of the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, said that with the effective implementation of RCEP, Guangxi will further promote the upgrading and development of China-ASEAN Expo, promote the establishment of RCEP (Nanning) International Expo Center, and expand China- ASEAN Commodity Convergence Center platform function, the preparations for the 19th China-ASEAN Expo will focus on the function of the exhibition to better serve RCEP, including striving for more conferences and forums such as the RCEP Summit Forum, and creating a "Nanning channel" for RCEP cooperation; RCEP exhibition area, organize the Korea and Japan pavilions, strive for more high-quality companies from other RCEP countries to participate in the exhibition, adjust the exhibition category settings of the China-ASEAN Expo, focus on the key cooperation areas between China and RCEP countries; extend the scope of the investment promotion function of the China-ASEAN Expo to RCEP Expand and actively explore new channels for the invitation of RCEP national merchants, establish and improve the RCEP business cooperation mechanism of the China-ASEAN Expo, further strengthen cooperation with business associations in various countries, and develop more major RCEP national business associations to become special cooperation agencies of the China-ASEAN Expo. The business cooperation mechanism of the Expo has expanded from "10+1" to RCEP countries.
“RCEP further accelerates the construction of existing economic corridors and key projects, and further promotes the deep integration of the industrial chain, supply chain, and value chain of both parties.” said Zou Yu, secretary of the party committee and general manager of Guangxi Construction Co., Ltd., China Construction Fifth Bureau, China Construction Fifth Bureau We will continue to focus on building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, focusing on major projects, important projects, and key industries, seizing greater opportunities during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, and striving to contribute to the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and economic and social development. Quality development injects new vitality and new kinetic energy.
In an interview with reporters, Wu Jingping, deputy director of Nanning Customs, said that in light of the positioning and role of the RCEP demonstration zone, Nanning Customs proposed to use the "three chains and two platforms" as the starting point to fully promote the construction of the Guangxi RCEP demonstration zone.
At the same time, continue to strengthen the study of RCEP customs procedures and trade facilitation rules, explore the construction of Guangxi's characteristic advantage products such as automobiles and their parts, cocoons and silks and other technical trade measures evaluation bases, and contribute "customs wisdom" to the high-quality development of Guangxi's foreign trade.
The implementation of RCEP puts forward new and higher requirements for the training of regional professional talents.
Han Junfeng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beibu Gulf University, said that the RCEP regional opening will be organically combined with the school development strategy, and the professional structure will be adjusted and optimized by closely connecting the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, especially the major industrial layout in the economic and social development of Qinzhou, and deepening the production and education. Integration and broadening of the international training platform as a strategy and path for cultivating innovative and applied talents, ensuring that the role of school think tanks is fully explored and released under the influence of RCEP.
(Our reporter Zhou Shixing and Wang Jinwen)