To expand the network of high-standard free trade areas facing the world, it is necessary to make steady progress, improve the comprehensive utilization rate of existing free trade agreements, and give full play to the benefits of 19 free trade agreements. It is necessary to promote the negotiation and signing of free trade agreements with more countries that are willing to jointly build.
In the first quarter, my country's foreign trade import and export improved month by month, showing strong resilience and achieving a stable start. This is due to my country's active implementation of the "combined boxing" policy of stabilizing foreign trade, and the continuous new progress in the construction of the free trade zone network is an important part of it.
my country has been following the trend of global regional economic integration and actively promoting the construction of free trade zones. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to accelerate the implementation of the free trade zone strategy; the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee proposed to implement the strategy of upgrading free trade zones; the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to expand the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world.
In the past 10 years, the number of global trade agreements has doubled, and major countries in the world have participated in the process of regional economic integration. The practice of many countries also shows that the free trade area has a direct role in promoting the development of intra-regional trade and the improvement of production efficiency, thereby driving the rapid development of the regional economy. At the same time, the construction of free trade zones has also formed an important boost to the further improvement of the overall level of opening up of these countries.
Data show that in 2022, my country's import and export volume with FTA partners will reach 14.25 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.7%, accounting for 34% of total foreign trade. On April 3 this year, the Philippines formally submitted the RCEP approval letter. According to RCEP regulations, the agreement will come into force for the Philippines on June 2. This marks that RCEP will take full effect for the 15 member countries, and the world's largest free trade zone will enter a new stage of full implementation. At present, my country has initially established a network of free trade agreements based on the surrounding area, radiating the "Belt and Road" and facing the world.
To expand the network of high-standard free trade areas facing the world, it is necessary to make steady progress, improve the comprehensive utilization rate of existing free trade agreements, and give full play to the benefits of 19 free trade agreements. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Commerce, in 2022, the comprehensive utilization rate of my country's 19 free trade agreements will be close to 80%, but there are also problems of high and low utilization rates of free trade agreements. For free trade agreements with relatively low utilization rates, it is necessary to find blocking points and find ways to guide enterprises to make good use of free trade agreements through training, so as to make full use of the role of these free trade agreements, so as to make it more effective to expand the network of high-standard free trade areas facing the world. good foundation.
To expand the network of high-standard free trade areas facing the world, it is necessary to promote the signing of free trade agreements with more countries that are willing to jointly build, and accelerate the construction of a network of free trade areas covering the "Belt and Road", so that my country can cooperate more closely with countries along the route. The exchanges are more convenient and the interests are more integrated. We must adhere to the rules of the world trade system, adhere to bilateral, multilateral, regional and sub-regional open cooperation, and expand the convergence of interests with countries and regions.
In addition, my country is actively promoting the joining of high-standard economic and trade agreements such as the "Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement" (CPTPP) and the "Digital Economic Partnership Agreement" (DEPA), and actively compares relevant rules, regulations, management, and standards to deepen Domestic reforms in related fields.
In recent years, the anti-globalization trend has risen, unilateralism and protectionism have risen significantly, and the multilateral trading system is facing many difficulties. At the same time, free trade zones are also showing a new trend of leading "high standard" economic and trade rules. Actively promoting the construction of the free trade zone network under the new situation is not only an objective requirement for building an open world economy, but also an inevitable choice for promoting high-quality economic development. This should be based on my country's national conditions and the needs of high-quality development, steadily expand the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world, promote the interconnection of markets, rules, industries, and innovation, and achieve a mutually beneficial and win-win opening strategy.