Officials embark on study tour of RCEP businesses

Zheng Xuke, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guiyang Sub-Council, led a team on a study tour from the second half of February to the first half of March, for the in-depth study of businesses involved in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

During the fact-finding tour, units were visited in the Guizhou Provincial Department of Commerce – based in Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province – as well as the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guizhou Sub-Council and the Guiyang and Zhucheng customs offices.

RCEP is a trade agreement signed by 15 countries – including China – to form the world's largest trading bloc. Having started coming into force at the beginning of the year, the tariffs on goods traded among members have either been reduced to zero immediately or will be reduced gradually, with more than 90 percent of the goods in the bloc eventually having zero tariffs.

The team inquired about the functions and services being offered by the China (Guizhou) International Trade Single Window platform in the Guizhou Provincial Department of Commerce. Officials in the department also provided details on reforms, including the integration of the registration form for foreign trade managers and corporate registration for certificates of origin.

During the session with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guizhou Sub-Council, Zheng introduced the major work conducted last year by the Guiyang branch to Liu Zhongjin, official in charge of overseas contact and legal affairs.

Liu provided guidance on the application requirements for certificates of origin and information gathering on corporations involved in the RCEP agreement.

The Guiyang branch will then give full play to its trade promotion system to serve local enterprises, focus on potential enterprises likely to apply for the certificate of origin, launch research trips and policy popularization activities for these firms, and apply for the authority to sign and issue the certificate of origin to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.