Foreign trade between SW.China's Sichuan Province and RCEP members flourishes in June

Aerial photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a China-Europe freight train ready for departure at the Tuanjiecun station in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Foreign trade between Southwest China's Sichuan Province and members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) flourished in June this year, setting a record of 1.91 billion yuan in import and export value, a 137.5 percent surge from the total in the previous five months, exceeding the total value of imports and exports from January to May of the year, the latest data from local customs showed.

During the January to June period, local customs of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, issued a total of 795 certificate of origin under the RCEP agreement, involving a total value of 3.198 billion yuan, including the imports between Sichuan and the RCEP members of 98 million yuan.

In May this year, local authorities in Chengdu released the list of key commodities traded in the markets of RCEP members, which brought favorable policies for the development of Sichuan's foreign trade and promoted a substantial increase in the value of local imports and exports. The list indicates a total of 8,245 commodity categories classified as zero-tariff trading with RCEP member states, offering local enterprises in Sichuan more accurate policy reference for foreign trade.

According to Chengdu Customs, the release of the commodity list has benefited companies in the fields of automobile manufacturing, agricultural products, chemicals, and new energy. Among them, the exports growth of lithium battery raw materials increased significantly in June, becoming the main driving force for the robust trade growth between Sichuan and the RCEP members in June.

Chengdu Customs will further provide necessary policy support for the foreign trade between Sichuan enterprises and the RCEP members, to inject impetus for the development of foreign trade, the local customs revealed.