At present, RCEP is not only the largest free trade area with the most vitality and growth potential in the world, but also the free trade area with the largest youth population.
Recently, Chi Fulin, President of the China (Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute, pointed out in the opening speech of the "RCEP Regional Youth Dialogue" that in 2021, the population aged 15-44 in the member countries of the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (RCEP) There are about 920 million people, 2.2 times that of Europe and North America, accounting for 44.2% of the total population in the region. It is estimated that by 2030, the population aged 15-44 in RCEP will rise to 940 million people.
Chi Fulin said that youth determines the future of RCEP. Under the background of deepening changes in the world's political, economic, and security patterns, and under the background of the epidemic's severe impact on the global economy and the obvious rise in unilateralism and protectionism, to fully release the dividends of RCEP and work together to build the world's largest free trade zone requires young people in the region Human investment and responsibility need to stimulate the vitality, creativity and charisma of young people, so that young people can become an important force for the development of RCEP.
The first is to release the vitality and potential of youth in promoting RCEP regional economic growth, and build a RCEP capacity improvement mechanism with the core of improving youth employment and entrepreneurship. Chi Fulin said that there is an urgent need to build an RCEP capacity improvement mechanism centered on improving young people's employment and entrepreneurship capabilities. For example, work together to build an RCEP public service platform to provide guidance for young civil servants and entrepreneurs in the region to use RCEP rules; focus on key industries such as fishery, tourism, processing and manufacturing, and the digital economy, and carry out targeted youth employment and entrepreneurship guidance, employment Skills training, advanced technology application guidance and other services.
The second is to give full play to the creativity of young people in promoting RCEP regional cooperation and build an economic and trade governance platform for RCEP youth participation. Chi Fulin suggested that the RCEP Youth Committee be established as a subsidiary body of the RCEP Joint Committee, focusing on making recommendations to the RCEP Joint Committee on RCEP economic and trade cooperation and urgent issues of concern to young people; establish an RCEP annual youth high-level meeting mechanism, in the RCEP Minister During the high-level meeting, a high-level intergenerational youth meeting will be set up to achieve direct dialogue between youth and ministers of various countries. While promoting intergenerational solidarity, RCEP youth leaders will be cultivated.
The third is to give full play to the driving force of youth in promoting RCEP regional cultural exchanges, build multi-level RCEP youth cultural exchange projects, cooperate to establish network-based RCEP universities, and expand the scope of youth cultural exchanges. Chi Fulin suggested to jointly carry out voluntary service activities in the fields of climate change, ecological environment protection, poverty alleviation and disaster relief, health and health; give play to the driving role of tourism in cultural exchanges among young people, and support enterprises in the region to develop the Pan-South China Sea blue economic research tourism project , focusing on discussions and exchanges on issues such as marine renewable energy development, marine ecological protection, and sea-related social governance.
