High-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), actively promote the process of joining the "Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement" (CPTPP), comprehensively carry out negotiations on joining the "Digital Economic Partnership Agreement" (DEPA), and continue to promote multiple Negotiations on free trade agreements and the upgrading process of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, etc., negotiating and signing free trade agreements with more willing trading partners... The trade "circle of friends" continues to expand.
Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao recently pointed out in his article "Accelerating the Construction of a Powerful Trade Country" that the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world should be expanded. Optimize the layout of free trade zones, promote the negotiation and signing of more high-standard free trade agreements, and actively promote the process of joining the "Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement". Improve the level of free trade zone construction, comprehensively and deeply participate in negotiations on issues in various fields, implement the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" with high quality, and fully leverage the institutional dividends of free trade agreements.
Promoting the implementation of the free trade zone upgrading strategy
Since the beginning of this year, China has actively promoted the implementation of the free trade zone upgrading strategy, and the results have been remarkable.
On January 1, RCEP came into effect. This free trade agreement with the world's largest population, the largest economic and trade scale, and the greatest potential for development is bringing tangible benefits to regional development. Enterprises have actively used policy dividends such as tariff concessions, cumulative rules of origin, and trade facilitation to reap the benefits of real money.
On the same day, the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement came into effect. According to reports, Cambodian officials and experts said that this is a milestone in the bilateral economic relations between Cambodia and China, and it will become a booster for Cambodia's exports and help the country's economic recovery in the post-epidemic era.
On April 7, the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Upgrade Protocol came into effect. The upgrade protocol further expands the market opening of goods, services, investment and other fields, further improves the level of rules such as trade facilitation, and adds four chapters including e-commerce, competition policy, government procurement, environment and trade, which is more in line with the development of modern economy and trade needs.
On August 18, according to the decision of the DEPA Joint Committee, the Working Group on China's Accession to DEPA was formally established to comprehensively promote the negotiation of China's accession to DEPA. It is reported that in the next step, China will conduct in-depth negotiations with members under the framework of China's accession to DEPA working group, strive to promote China's accession process, and strive to formally join DEPA as soon as possible, so as to strengthen cooperation with members in the field of digital economy and promote innovation and sustainable development. contribute.
On October 27, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce said in response to hot economic and trade issues, "At present, we are contacting, communicating and negotiating with various members in accordance with the CPTPP accession procedures. conducted a sufficient, comprehensive and in-depth research and assessment, and sorted out the reform measures and revised laws and regulations that may be required to join the CPTPP.”
Yang Changyong, a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Economics of the China Academy of Macroeconomics, said in an interview with a reporter from the International Business Daily that the many free trade agreements promoted by China in the past year have distinctive features and are different. RCEP is the world's largest regional trade agreement. The China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement is an important free trade agreement concluded between China and its partners in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road". The upgrade of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and China's promotion of joining DEPA and CPTPP are important An important starting point for China to benchmark against international high-standard economic and trade rules and build a high-standard free trade zone network. From the perspective of content, this shows that China attaches great importance to regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, establishing free trade agreements with partners in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and attaches great importance to benchmarking international high-standard economic and trade rules in order to promote relevant domestic rules, regulations, and management. , Reform and improvement of standards, and expand institutional opening. Especially in the process of promoting accession to DEPA and CPTPP, China's attitude is consistent and very clear. This is also an important direction for China to promote high-level opening up in the future.
Promote the construction of a high-standard free trade zone network
China firmly supports the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and is committed to expanding the global network of high-standard free trade zones. The “circle of friends” of free trade continues to expand, the content of free trade agreements is increasingly rich, and the level is constantly improving. based on the surrounding area, radiating the “Belt and Road” and oriented to the world, a high-standard free trade zone network has initially taken shape. So far, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions, with free trade partners covering Asia, Oceania, Latin America, Europe and Africa. Statistics show that the trade volume between China and free trade partners accounts for about 35% of the total foreign trade volume.
In addition, China is continuing to promote the negotiation of free trade agreements with the GCC, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Israel, Norway, China, Japan and South Korea, and the upgrade process of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, and to negotiate with more willing trading partners. Sign free trade agreements to jointly promote regional economic integration and trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. Yang Changyong said that, on the one hand, promoting the establishment of a high-standard free trade zone network has always been an important part of China's high-level opening up, especially the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and the Outline of the "14th Five-Year Plan". Free trade zone upgrade strategy, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China called for expanding the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world. "The expansion of the free trade 'circle of friends' since this year is a realistic manifestation of our continuous promotion of the construction of a high-standard free trade zone network."
In Yang Changyong's view, the continuous expansion of the "circle of friends" of free trade also reflects China's insistence on promoting the construction of an open world economy under the international economic environment where anti-globalization trends are rising and protectionism and unilateralism are rising significantly. Take a clear stand. The free trade area is not only an important channel to promote trade liberalization and facilitation, but also an important channel to continuously incorporate cooperation and issues in emerging fields that reflect the development trend of the international economy and a new round of technological revolution, such as digital economy, environmental protection and other new rule issues negotiations. Therefore, the continuous promotion of the expansion of the free trade "circle of friends" also demonstrates China's firm position on opening up and cooperation, and conforming to the trend of the international economy and the new round of technological revolution.
