Share the New Opportunities of the RCEP Toward a New Chapter of Opening Up and Cooperation
共享开放新机遇，共谱合作新篇章
中国驻泰国大使韩志强
Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang
2022年1月7日
7 January 2022
On 1 January 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP) jointly signed by 15 countries, including China and the ASEAN Member States, entered into force officially. A free trade zone with the greatest economic scale, largest participating population, most diverse structure and biggest development potential in the world was established. The entry into force of the RCEP as scheduled will inject new impetus into the recovery and development of the regional and world economy and create new opportunities for China-ASEAN and China-Thailand economic and trade cooperation.
中国同东盟国家等15国共同签署的《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》（RCEP）已正式生效，世界上参与人口最多、成员结构最多元、发展潜力最大的自贸区正式启航。这将为地区和世界经济复苏发展注入新动力，为中国与包括泰国在内的东盟国家经贸合作创造新契机。
In recent years, multilateralism and economic globalization have encountered “headwinds”. The “withdrawals” and “flip-flops” of the United States have led to a myriad of chaos in international relations. With the cumulative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is confronted with sluggish economic recovery, fluctuating international trade and investment, and severely affected global supply chains. At this critical juncture, China and countries of the region, overcoming one obstacle after another with solidarity and cooperation, have successfully realized the first integration and upgrading of the regional trade and investment rules. The implementation of a comprehensive, modern, high-quality and mutually beneficial agreement demonstrates to the world the right and just path of multilateralism and free trade and injects a “booster” into the very uncertain global economy.
近年来，多边主义和经济全球化遭遇逆风。新冠肺炎疫情影响下，世界经济复苏乏力，国际贸易投资波动起伏，全球产业链供应链遭受严重冲击。值此重要关头，中国和地区国家团结合作，成功实现域内贸易投资规则整合升级，推动全面、现代、高质量和互惠的自贸协定生效实施，对世界经济复苏具有重要推动作用。
As the first approvers of the RCEP, China and ASEAN have always joined hands in spearheading the completion of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, promoting high-quality Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, steering the correct direction of East Asian economic integration and enhancing regional development and prosperity. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping and leaders of the ASEAN countries jointly attended the Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations and announced the establishment of a China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, laying a new milestone for the development of the bilateral relationship. The joint statement of the Summit welcomes the entry into force of the RCEP and stresses that China and ASEAN countries will “work together for the effective implementation of the RCEP Agreement, to deliver benefits to businesses and people in the region”. With the deepening of post-pandemic recovery cooperation of the two sides, the RCEP will further reinforce the level of complementary advantages between China and ASEAN countries, optimize the regional business and investment environment, promote the deep integration of the regional industrial chain, supply chain and value chain, drive the growth of overall regional economic and trade investment, and bring tangible benefits to the people of China and ASEAN countries.
中国和东盟始终携手前行，率先建成中国—东盟自贸区，高质量共建“一带一路”，共同引领东亚经济一体化，促进区域发展繁荣。不久前，习近平主席和东盟国家领导人共同出席中国—东盟建立对话关系30周年纪念峰会，共同宣布将中国东盟关系提升为全面战略伙伴关系，树立了双方关系史上新的里程碑。峰会联合声明欢迎RCEP生效，强调中国和东盟国家将“共同有效落实该协定，造福地区企业和民众”。随着双方合作不断深入，RCEP将进一步提升中国和东盟国家优势互补水平，优化区域营商投资环境，促进区域产业链、供应链、价值链深度融合，拉动区域整体经贸投资增长，为中国和东盟各国人民带来实实在在的好处。
Both China and Thailand are firm advocates of free trade and active supporters of regional cooperation. The opportunities for regional economic integration promoted by the RCEP will bolster the scale and quality of China-Thailand economic and trade cooperation to a new level. China has become Thailand’s largest trading partner for nine consecutive years. In 2021, the bilateral trade overcame the impact of the pandemic and exceeded the US$100 billion mark. Chinese enterprises in the fields of e-commerce, communications, automobiles and photovoltaics have successively invested and set up factories in Thailand. Thai agricultural produce, rubber and electronic products are welcome in the Chinese market. After the RCEP comes into force, China and Thailand will further open the markets of fishery products, papermaking, auto parts and metals, and more than 90 percent of trade in goods will eventually realize zero tariff. The negative-list styled high-quality commitments for investment in non-service sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing will attract more Chinese enterprises to invest and build factories in Thailand and further optimize the layout of bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation. The RCEP’s institutional arrangements on e-commerce and intellectual property rights will further facilitate China-Thailand cooperation in cross-border e-commerce and digital economy and boost the flow of innovative resources between the two countries to jointly grasp new opportunities in the digital era.
中泰都是自由贸易的坚定倡导者、区域合作的积极支持者，RCEP催生的区域经济融合机遇，将助推中泰经贸合作再上新台阶。中国已连续9年成为泰国第一大贸易伙伴，2021年双方贸易克服疫情影响突破千亿美元大关。中国电商、通信、汽车、光伏等领域企业纷纷在泰投资设厂，泰国农产品、橡胶、电子产品等受到中国市场欢迎。RCEP生效后，中泰将进一步开放渔业产品、造纸、汽车零部件等市场，90%以上的货物贸易将最终实现零关税。对农业、制造业等非服务业投资采用负面清单方式作出高质量承诺，将吸引更多中国企业在泰国投资建厂，进一步优化双方经贸投资合作布局。RCEP有关电子商务、知识产权等制度安排，将进一步便利中泰跨境电商、数字经济等合作，促进两国创新资源流动，携手把握数字时代新机遇。
At present, China is accelerating the building of a new development paradigm of dual circulation, enhancing high-quality BRI cooperation, constantly expanding the “circle of friends” of free trade, and continuously improving the level of opening up and cooperation. China is willing to work with Thailand and other Member States of the RCEP to seize the new opportunities brought by the RCEP and constantly release RCEP dividends, so as to lend new impetus into the regional and world economic recovery and development and contribute positive energy to building an open world economy and benefiting the people of the world.
当前，中国正加快构建新发展格局，推动高质量共建“一带一路”，不断扩大自贸“朋友圈”，全面提高对外开放水平。中国愿与包括泰国在内的协定成员国一道，抓住协定生效带来的新机遇，持续释放自由贸易红利，为推动构建开放型世界经济、造福各国人民贡献正能量。