In less than a month, the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (RCEP) will usher in a year of formal entry into force. As the free trade agreement with the largest economic volume signed by China, RCEP has continuously released the dividends of opening up since it came into effect, highlighting the positive effects on the regional and China's economic development, becoming China's active participation in the process of regional economic integration and the establishment of a high-standard free trade zone A vivid portrayal of the network system.
In recent years, regional economic integration has continued to deepen, and regional free trade has flourished, becoming an important engine driving economic globalization. At the same time, there are still many challenges in the international market under the haze of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and the demand for new drivers in the global market is becoming more and more urgent. High-level free trade zones have become an important platform for international economic cooperation and competition.
In the past 10 years, China has taken the initiative to conform to the general trend of regional economic integration and actively worked with willing countries and regions to build a mutually beneficial and win-win free trade zone. In the past 10 years, the proportion of trade volume between China and free trade partners in China's total trade volume has increased from 17% in 2012 to 35% in 2021, which has not only promoted regional economic development, but also brought tangible social and social benefits to the people of all countries. economic well-being. During the fifth CIIE, the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce issued the "20th Anniversary of China's Free Trade Zone Construction and RCEP Implementation Progress Report", pointing out that the free trade zone has narrowed the economic and trade relations between China and free trade partners, promoted the flow of factors and The trade of intermediate goods has further consolidated the mutual industrial chain supply chain cooperation.
Today, China has successively signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions around the world, covering Asia, Oceania, Latin America, Europe, and Africa, gradually building a free trade area network based on the surrounding area, radiating the "Belt and Road" and facing the world The layout, trade in goods, trade in services, and investment openness have been significantly improved, economic and trade rules have covered more areas, and the level of commitment has continued to deepen, playing a positive role in forming a wider, wider, and deeper opening-up pattern.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to "expand the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world", which pointed out the direction, clarified the goals, and put forward Require.
Expanding the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world is a strategic measure for my country to implement a higher level of opening up. In the international high-standard free trade agreement, the market access fields such as trade in goods, service trade and investment, and government procurement are becoming more and more open, and the field of rules is further extended to various "post-border" measures including the environment. Promoting the construction of free trade zones to "expand, improve quality, and increase efficiency" is conducive to enhancing the linkage effect of the two resources in the domestic and international markets, and improving the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation.
It should be noted that there are still some institutional obstacles in our country, there are still many hard nuts to crack in the reform of key areas, and there are still many bottlenecks in promoting high-quality development. Expand the global network of high-standard free trade zones, deeply connect with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and create a market-oriented, law-based, and international first-class business environment, which is conducive to better exerting the power of high-level opening-up to reform, development, and innovation The leading role provides a strong impetus for promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capabilities.
According to the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, based on the new stage of development, my country will adhere to the basic national policy of opening up to the outside world, firmly pursue a mutually beneficial and win-win opening strategy, promote high-level opening up, expand the network of high-standard free trade zones facing the world, and maintain The diversified and stable international economic structure and economic and trade relations continue to provide new opportunities for the world with China's new development, promote the construction of an open world economy, and better benefit the people of all countries.