On January 21, 2021, MOFCOM held the RCEP online training program. At its opening ceremony, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao delivered video remarks and Vice Minister and Deputy China International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen made a motivational speech. The training program was attended by participants from the governing bodies of commerce, customs, trade promotion, and pilot FTZs of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities under direct governance of the central government, municipalities with independent planning status and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and from relevant chambers of commerce, associations, societies, clubs, universities, research institutes and enterprises. All together around 6000 people participated in the training program.
In his remarks, Minister Wang Wentao pointed out that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council are strongly committed to the entry into force and implementation of RCEP. Relevant parties need to fully understand its significance and substance, seize the opportunities brought by the agreement, pursue high-level opening-up, and contribute to the new development paradigm.
Minister Wang stressed the need to fully recognize the strategic, historical and practical meaning of RCEP in terms of advancing the overall economic and social development, while bearing in mind the profound global changes unseen in a century and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Taking RCEP as an opportunity, we should advance high-level opening-up, boost regional trade and investment, keep industrial and supply chains stable, and foster new strengths in international economic competition and cooperation. The comprehensive effects of RCEP should be maximized. In conjunction with relevant authorities, commercial departments at all levels should take full account of regional development strategies and real needs and align RCEP with Belt & Road cooperation, and with the development of their own working fields in their own regions, so that all market players could be fully involved in the huge market of RCEP. Meanwhile, promotion and training programs should be proceeded to deliver more benefits of RCEP to businesses in a broader scale.
Vice Minister Wang Shouwen said in his motivational speech that local authorities and businesses should seize opportunities, dissect enabling policies, take full advantage of the dividends of RCEP and maximize its effects. While ensuring proper risk management, we should proceed with high-level opening-up with RCEP as an enabler, and make due contributions to the new course of socialist modernization.
After the motivational session, the leading official of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs of MOFCOM made an overall interpretation on RCEP regarding its substance and the new development paradigm of services. After the one and a half day-training session, experts from MOFCOM and GACC will introduce in a more systematic way the specifics of RCEP, including trade in goods, rules of origin, custom procedures and trade facilitation, trade in services, investment and rules.
Launched in 2012 by ASEAN and substantially concluded in November 2019, RCEP went through 31 rounds of negotiations for eight years. On November 15, 2020, RCEP was officially signed in the presence of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the leaders from Japan, ROK, Australia, New Zealand and 10 ASEAN countries.
(All information published on this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.)
