Xinhua
23 Nov 2021, 17:14 GMT+10
NANNING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- HF SPIRIT, a freighter sailing from Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, arrived at the Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Nov. 20, bringing five reefer containers filled with fresh fruit.
"Indonesia's bananas, mangosteens, Thailand's coconuts, longan, durians and Vietnam's pitaya are the 'frequenters' on our ship," said Lu Xiaoshan, manager of the shipping department of the New Sitc International Shipping Agency (Shanghai) Co., Ltd's branch in Qinzhou.
The company in recent years has constantly added new routes to member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) thanks to robust China-ASEAN trade, Lu added.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN. Over the past three decades, trade between China and ASEAN has skyrocketed by 85 times. Last year, China remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years, while ASEAN became China's largest trading partner.
Since the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2010, the trade in goods and services between China and ASEAN has grown rapidly through the deep integration of industrial and value chains. Tariffs on 7,000 products have been scrapped under the CAFTA framework.
On Monday, China and ASEAN jointly announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership -- a new milestone in the history of China-ASEAN relations -- to contribute further to the building of an open, inclusive and sustainable region that enjoys peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development.
Wang Zhengbo, chief executive officer of Guangxi TWT Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd., is busy exploring new business opportunities recently by importing Cambodian tapioca, mango, rice and other agricultural products to China.
Wang said that Cambodia's produce has advantages in quality and price. "The deepening of bilateral cooperation has made cross-border business much more convenient. Moreover, after learning that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement will soon take effect, two banks have proposed to provide financial support for our new business," said Wang, adding that the newly harvested Cambodian tapioca chips will soon depart for China.
Initiated by the 10 ASEAN countries to establish a unified market by reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers, the RCEP will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and more than 90 percent of merchandise trade in the region will be eventually subject to zero tariffs.
The RCEP includes 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia and New Zealand. The 15 states' total population, gross domestic product and trade all account for about 30 percent of the world total.
Do Nam Trung, consul general of Vietnam in Nanning, said that the signing of RCEP will greatly boost the development of economic globalization, and usher in a new era of economic and trade exchanges between ASEAN and China.
RCEP is especially useful in reducing and removing trade obstacles, creating the world's largest common market, where goods and services could be more freely traded, thus accelerating the regional and world economic revivals, noted Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
"The China-ASEAN relationship has developed into the most successful and dynamic model of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region," said Zhai Kun, professor of the school of international studies at Peking University.
"The upgrading of China-ASEAN bilateral relations will offer more cooperation options for regional and global governance, and to a large extent drive the progress of RCEP," Zhai added.
Get a daily dose of Irish Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Irish Sun.
More InformationENNIS, Texas: A man died, and three of his family members were injured when their RV flipped several times during a strong storm at...
One halcyon spring day in 1903, the 69-year-old anatomist and naturalist Dr. James Bell Pettigrew sat at the top of a sloping street...
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: Air Force fighter jets have stopped a civilian plane that entered restricted airspace near Donald Trump's...
CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, D.C.: Farmers and food groups across the U.S. are laying off workers, stopping investments, and struggling to get...
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota: A new South Dakota law banning the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines has cast doubt on...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Officials working on diversity and inclusion programs at the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Dublin City Council and Cluid Housing have unveiled plans to transform a vacant site in Cabra into an affordable rental...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Mark Carney, Canada's incoming prime minister, has announced plans to renounce his Irish and British citizenships...
DUBLIN, Ireland: An all-female crew is embarking on a challenging Arctic expedition to raise awareness and funds for women's heart...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: The United States has withdrawn from the board of a U.N. climate fund designed to help poor countries deal with...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Department of Justice is on track to issue a record number of deportation orders in 2025, with over 700 orders...
(Photo credit: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Defending champion Iga Swiatek made history in Indian...