杨艳

By Yang Yan/The World and Chongqing

RCEP Enters into Force：

Cooperation Between Chongqing and RCEP Countries on Fast Track

On January 1st， 2022， the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement （RCEP） entered into force in six ASEAN member states and non-ASEAN countries including China， Japan， Australia， and New Zealand.

As introduced by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce， Chongqing is the juncture of the Silk Road Economic Belt， the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road， and the Yangtze River Economic Belt， boasting a unique location advantage in strengthening international cooperation with RCEP Participating Countries （RPCs） along these routes. In recent years， Chongqing has attached great importance to ASEAN. While implementing the ASEAN Action Plan， Chongqing has also accelerated joint venture partnerships and cooperation with Japan and the Republic of Korea， facilitating full momentum to promote economic and trade cooperation with RPCs.

RPCs are important economic and trade partners of Chongqing. In the past five years， the scale of foreign trade between Chongqing and RPCs has been expanding， increasing from RMB127 billion in 2016 to RMB204.3 billion in 2020， with an average annual growth rate of 12.6%. From January to October 2021， the import and export volume between Chongqing and RPCs registered RMB190.72 billion， up by 15.1% year-on-year， accounting for 29.6% of the overall municipal foreign trade volume in the same period. The Republic of Korea is the largest trading partner of Chongqing in the RCEP region.

The RPCs have invested or established an average of over 50 businesses in Chongqing every year， and the actual utilization of foreign investment exceeds USD900 million annually. From January to October 2021， the actual utilization of foreign investment from RPCs is USD1.5 billion， an increase of 40% year-on-year， accounting for 18.6% of the overall. Singapore and the Republic of Korea are the main source countries of RCEP foreign investment.

A Range of Initiatives Facilitating Greater Cooperation with RPCs

The CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and Chongqing Municipal Government attach great importance to promoting full economic and trade cooperation with RPCs. In 2021， leaderships of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and Chongqing Municipal Government have met and engaged in frequent exchanges with government officials and representatives of major businesses from countries such as Singapore， Japan， Malaysia， Laos， Indonesia， Vietnam， and Thailand. Bilateral economic and trade cooperation has been enhanced effectively through continuous interactions with governments and businesses of these countries， resulting in expanded trade volume， improved functionality of multiple cooperation corridors， effective platforms， and frequent mutual exchanges.

The Chongqing Municipal Government， as well as various municipal departments such as the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce and the Foreign Affairs Office， are actively researching for ways to promote further economic and trade cooperation between Chongqing and ASEAN， including formulating development plans， actively attracting investment， facilitating government-to-business exchanges， and promoting cooperation projects. During the Third Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade （WCIFIT）， the 2021 CCI-ILSTC （China-Singapore Connectivity Initiative and New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor） International Cooperation Forum was successfully held in Chongqing. During the China-Singapore （Chongqing） Connectivity Initiative Financial Summit 2021， a specialized event： Matchmaking Session–RCEP Opportunities for Inland China was also held. Officials from businesses associations or chambers of commerce from Singapore and Malaysia， as well as a total of over 150 domestic and foreign businesses， participated online or in person， looking for in-depth cooperation in Chongqing.

A Wide Range of Cooperation Between Chongqing and RPCs for High-Quality Cooperation and Greater Openness

Chongqing will continue to further facilitate inland opening-up， build a fertile ground to attract foreign investment， integrate into the world economy， and promote stability of the industrial chains and supply chains. We will make good use of the RCEP rules， seize the opportunities， deepen cooperation with RPCs， especially with ASEAN countries， and promote high-quality opening-up.

Efforts will be made to build an international logistics hub connecting RPCs and construct a logistics distribution center for RPCs in western China. We will take the opportunities presented by the comprehensive pilot project of expanding the opening-up of the service sector to develop financial services provided to RPCs. We will continue to promote trade facilitation and intellectual property rights protection， implement initiatives to facilitate the movement of natural persons， continue to optimize the business environment， and continue to improve the level of government services and efficiency， building Chongqing into a desirable and open environment that makes the locals happy and attracts those who are far.

2022年1月1日，《區域全面经济伙伴关系协定》（RCEP）在东盟6国和中国、日本、澳大利亚、新西兰等非东盟成员国正式生效。

市商务委介绍，重庆作为“一带一路”和长江经济带的联结点，在深化与沿线RCEP成员国国际合作中具有得天独厚的区位优势。近年来，重庆一直深耕东盟，实施“东盟行动计划”，并同时加速与日韩的合资合作，全面推进与RCEP成员国经贸合作。

RCEP成员国是重庆重要的经贸伙伴。过去5年，重庆与RCEP成员国进出口贸易规模不断扩大，从2016年的1270亿元增加到2020年的2043亿元，年均增长率达12.6%。2021年1—10月，重庆与RCEP成员国进出口额1907.2亿元，同比增长15.1%，占同期全市外贸进出口额的29.6%。其中，韩国是重庆在RCEP区域最大的贸易伙伴。

据介绍，RCEP成员国在渝投资兴办企业年均达到50家以上，每年实际利用外资均超过9亿美元。2021年1—10月，实际利用RCEP成员国外资15亿美元，同比增长40%，占全市18.6%。其中，新加坡和韩国是RCEP外资主要来源国。

多举措推动与RCEP成员国合作全面提速

重庆市委、市政府高度重视加深与RCEP成员国的经贸合作。2021年，重庆市委、市政府领导多次与新加坡、日本、马来西亚、老挝、印尼、越南、泰国等国家的政府官员及重要客商进行接洽和会谈，通过持续与这些国家的政企互动，将双边经贸合作稳步推进，呈现出贸易规模不断扩大、通道功能不断提升、平台作用不断显现、交流互动不断深化的良好局面。

重庆市政府，以及市商务委、市政府外办等各部门，积极加强研究、采取多种措施，从制定发展规划、大力招商引资、密切政企交流、共建合作项目等方面推动重庆与东盟的经贸合作更进一步。在2021年西洽会期间，重庆成功举办2021陆海新通道国际合作论坛。在2021中新金融峰会上还举办了“RCEP机遇与内陆开放对接会”，新加坡、馬来西亚商协会负责人及150余家境内外企业线上线下同步参加会议，推动加深在渝合作。

重庆与RCEP成员国合作领域广泛 共同推动高质量开放合作

接下来，重庆将进一步加快推进内陆开放，打造成为吸引外资的沃土，与世界经济更深融合，形成更稳定的产业链、供应链，用好RCEP规则、抢抓RCEP机遇，深化与RCEP成员国特别是东南亚国家的合作，推动高质量开放。

构建联通RCEP成员国的国际物流枢纽，建设RCEP成员国在中国西部的物流集散中心。以服务业扩大开放综合试点为契机，抢抓开放新机遇，大力发展面向RCEP成员国的金融服务。不断提升贸易便利化水平、加强知识产权保护、实施自然人流动便利化举措，持续优化营商环境，持续提升政府服务水平和办事效率，营造“近者悦、远者来”的开放环境。