[Global Times Special Correspondent Yang Weimin in Hong Kong] Director of Industry and Trade of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Lu Shixiong, revealed in an online seminar on the 21st that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government had formally submitted its entry into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in mid-January this year. ), joined after about 18 months.
RCEP currently has 15 members, including 5 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and 10 ASEAN countries.
Lo Shih-hung said that the current total trade volume between Hong Kong and RCEP economies is US$962.6 billion, and the total service volume is US$103 billion, equivalent to 60% of Hong Kong's total trade volume. Joining RCEP will not only benefit Hong Kong's overall economic development, but also bring benefits to SMEs. Business.
Liu Huiping, vice president of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, believes that if Hong Kong can successfully join the RCEP, it can further enhance Hong Kong's status as a hub in entrepot trade, and can also promote the development of professional fields such as finance and law, and promote cooperation between different economies.
Huang Yinghao, deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Restart Alliance and a member of the Legislative Council's import and export sector, said that joining the RCEP will further expand the business network of Hong Kong, and will continue to bring a steady stream of business opportunities to RCEP members.
The HKSAR government has been quite active in joining the RCEP.
In June last year, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that Hong Kong has sufficient conditions to join RCEP. After joining, it will help attract more Hong Kong enterprises to invest in RCEP member economies, and promote investment and related construction development in the region.
She revealed that the SAR government has expressed its willingness to join the RCEP member economies since 2018, and RCEP members also expressed their welcome to Hong Kong’s formal offer to join after the agreement came into force.
A comment published in Hong Kong's "Sing Tao Daily" stated that the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China stated earlier that China will fully implement all the commitments and obligations of the RCEP agreement, and the Ministry of Commerce also made it clear that it firmly supports Hong Kong's entry into the RCEP.
If we can enhance the advantages of Hong Kong's manufacturing and service industries at the same time, and seize the opportunity to join RCEP, we can share the dividends of the world's largest free trade zone.