The "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (hereinafter referred to as RCEP) has been in force for more than a year, and its dividends in promoting regional trade and investment growth and economic recovery have been continuously released. On May 21, the Propaganda Department of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, China Daily, and China (Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute co-sponsored the "Building the World's Largest Free Trade Zone-2023RCEP Regional Development Media Think Tank Forum" in Haikou. More than 450 representatives from mainstream media, think tanks, international organizations, embassy officials in China, and business circles from China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries participated in the conference. This forum will share views and exchange ideas around "jointly building the world's largest free trade zone", and actively offer suggestions for promoting regional exchanges and cooperation.
Wang Bin, member of the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and head of the Propaganda Department, pointed out that in the past five years, Hainan has resolutely implemented the decision-making and deployment of the central government and promoted the construction of a free trade port. This is the form of three foundations, four beams and eight pillars". Hainan will continue to take the initiative to make good use of and integrate into RCEP, benchmark international high-level economic and trade rules, and strive to become an important meeting point between China and the RCEP market.
Qu Yingpu, president and editor-in-chief of China Daily, pointed out that China has taken practical actions to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, promoted the construction of the "Belt and Road" with high quality, vigorously promoted RCEP regional exchanges and cooperation, and achieved a series of major practical results. Facing the future, we must stand on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, implement RCEP with high quality, and make unremitting efforts to further promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Chi Fulin, president of the China (Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute, proposed that we should work together to build the world's largest free trade zone with high standards. He believes that, first, shared development is a prominent feature of RCEP. Development is the basis and premise for solving all problems; development based on the market and rules is sustainable development; shared development is the pursuit and goal of free trade in the new era. Second, high-level openness is an important goal of RCEP. It is necessary to adapt to the general trend, promote the high-level opening process of RCEP based on the needs of regional development, realize the early implementation of RCEP's opening commitments, promote the docking and integration of RCEP and CPTPP in a timely manner, and create important conditions for accelerating the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area. Third, ASEAN and China are the vitality and focus of the RCEP region. Accelerating the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 is the key to practically promoting the high-level opening process of RCEP. A high-level open China will form an important driving force for the construction of version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
The first plenary session was chaired by Wu Shicun, vice president of the Institute of Free Trade Ports with Chinese Characteristics, and the participating experts discussed "RCEP and regional economic integration development".
Yi Xiaozhun, former deputy director-general of the WTO, former Chinese ambassador to WT0, and former vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce, pointed out that the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is the first step China has taken to promote economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region. An important basis for reaching the RCEP agreement. RCEP is an important milestone in the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP).
Weng Shijie, chairman of Malaysia's New Asian Strategic Research Center and former Minister of Transport of Malaysia, pointed out that RCEP is not a platform that only provides wealth to a few countries with competitive advantages, nor should it be measured only by statistical data such as GDP. It is essentially an An inclusive super-large free trade agreement aims to share the dividends of economic development and promote the common prosperity of the entire region.
Ban Leyi, president of the Philippine-China Friendship Association, believes that RCEP is a powerful promoter of the development of the global economy and the Asia-Pacific economy, and can promote the prosperity of the RCEP region and the rest of the world. In order to ensure the realization of the expected goals of RCEP, attention must be paid to issues such as supply chain stability. With the resolute joint efforts of all members, RCEP can overcome some of the challenges it is currently facing and promote the process of regional economic integration.
