To fully implement the "Guiding Opinions on the High-Quality Implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)" (Shang Guoji Fa [2022] No. 10) issued by the Ministry of Commerce and five other departments, the "Notice of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province on Issuing the Action Plan for Accelerating Yunnan Province’s Alignment with RCEP" (Yun Zheng Fa [2022] No. 5),and the "Notice of the People’s Government of Wenshan Prefecture on Issuing the Implementation Plan for Accelerating Wenshan Prefecture’s Alignment with RCEP to Promote Open-Type Economic Development" (Wenzhengfa [2022] No. 64), this plan is hereby formulated to accelerate alignment with RCEP rules, fully seize development opportunities, and promote open-type economic development, taking into account the actual conditions of Wenshan City.

I. General Requirements

(1) Guiding Principles.Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the First Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee; thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches during his inspection of Yunnan; and earnestly carry out the work arrangements of the 11th Provincial Party Congress, the Provincial Party Committee’s Economic Work Conference, and the 10th Prefectural Party Congress. Taking the advancement of border opening-up and the “turn toward the east and the sea” as the main threads, we will focus on building the core area of the “China Green Aluminum Valley,” the world’s “Sanqi Capital,”“Chili Powerhouse,” we will expand the scale of goods trade, promote practical cooperation with Vietnam, build cross-border industrial chains oriented toward ASEAN, foster and strengthen market entities, vigorously explore international markets, comprehensively deepen economic and trade cooperation with RCEP member states, and establish Wenshan City as a key window for RCEP integration and a vital hub for opening up to the outside world.

(2) Main Objectives. Fully align with and implement RCEP economic and trade rules and standards; promote the sustained expansion of goods trade in agriculture (represented by chili peppers), traditional Chinese medicinal materials (represented by Sanqi), and manufacturing (represented by aluminum); deepen cross-border industrial cooperation; continuously strengthen the scale of foreign trade enterprises; enhance the effectiveness of economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam; further improve the ability to expand markets and secure orders; and continuously deepen and expand economic and trade cooperation with RCEP member states.Using 2021 as the baseline, the goal is to achieve an average annual growth rate of over 15% in trade volume and two-way investment between Wenshan City and RCEP member states by 2025, with a significant increase in the number of enterprises holding AEO Advanced Certification and the number of RCEP Certificates of Origin issued.

II. Main Tasks

(1) Focus on Key Advantageous Products and Continuously Expand the Scale of Goods Trade

1. Strengthen trade cooperation with RCEP member states. Compile lists of key export commodities and encouraged import commodities for RCEP. Deepen engagement in the ASEAN market, consolidate export advantages in traditional products such as vegetables, fruits, and Chinese herbal medicines, and boost exports of textiles, daily necessities, chemical products, and electromechanical products; expand imports of key resource-based products such as metal ores, natural rubber, and timber.Encourage imports from Japan and South Korea of advanced technologies and equipment, key components, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices; expand imports of consumer goods such as home appliances, sports products, food, and cosmetics. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce, the Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Municipal Market Supervision Administration, and the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau according to their respective duties)

2. Vigorously develop agricultural product trade, with a focus on chili peppers. Guide enterprises and production bases to make full use of RCEP rules to expand the export scale of chili peppers, edible fungi, mustard greens, carrots, and other products. Explore the export potential of spices such as star anise, ginger, garlic, and Sichuan pepper.Strengthen chili pepper exports to traditional markets such as Japan and the United States, while actively developing emerging markets including Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Promote exports of small chili peppers, long chili peppers, and dried northern chili peppers to ASEAN markets, and encourage exports of chili powder, chili sauce, and hot pot bases to countries such as Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Expand imports of fresh and dried chili peppers from countries including India, Vietnam, and Thailand. Cultivate and establish a new batch of agricultural product export filing bases and foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases.Accelerate the construction of chili pepper trading and distribution hubs. (The Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, Municipal Forestry and Grassland Bureau, and Municipal Science and Technology Bureau shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties.)

3. Accelerate the development of trade in traditional Chinese medicinal materials, with a focus on Panax notoginseng. Promote exports of traditional Chinese medicinal materials such as Panax notoginseng, Dendrobium officinale, and Amomum villosum, as well as plant extracts such as Centella asiatica and Gotu Kola.Expand exports of Panax notoginseng raw materials to Japan, Vietnam, and other countries, and actively develop markets in Malaysia, Australia, and Singapore; promote exports of Panax notoginseng health foods and daily chemical products to ASEAN markets such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand; guide enterprises in conducting international drug registration and facilitate the entry of Panax notoginseng-based traditional Chinese patent medicines into markets such as Myanmar and Vietnam. Further leverage the role of the Provincial Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base (Panax notoginseng) in promoting foreign trade.Continue to successfully organize the “Wenshan Panax Notoginseng Festival.” Accelerate the process of applying for the inclusion of the main root of Panax notoginseng in the National Food and Drug Substance Catalog. (Responsibility lies with the Panax Notoginseng Industrial Park Management Committee, the Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce, the Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Municipal Health Bureau, the Municipal Market Supervision Administration, the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and the Municipal Panax Notoginseng Resource Development and Utilization Center, in accordance with their respective duties)

4. Promote the development of aluminum product trade. Actively encourage green aluminum enterprises to engage in import and export operations. Guide and encourage enterprises to import bauxite from Indonesia and Australia, alumina from Vietnam and Australia, and recycled aluminum raw materials from Vietnam and Malaysia; promote the local production of prebaked anode carbon rods; and expand imports of petroleum coke from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.Expand exports of aluminum processed products to the ASEAN market, actively exporting aluminum foil and aluminum profiles to Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, and exporting aluminum foil, industrial aluminum products, and household aluminum products to Japan and South Korea. Explore the establishment of an inspection and testing center for imported recycled aluminum resources. (Responsibility lies with the Matang Industrial Park Management Committee, the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, the Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, and the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, in accordance with their respective duties)

(2) Fully leverage geographical advantages to promote economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam

5. Make full use of economic and trade promotion platforms for Vietnam. Actively seek to undertake national and provincial aid projects for Vietnam. Leverage the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “Great Love Knows No Borders” international charity sale to enhance the international influence of Wenshan products.Deepen cooperation with Vietnamese local governments, news media, professional exhibition organizers, and business associations to intensify promotional efforts for Wenshan products. Explore the priority establishment of Wenshan City’s overseas commercial representative offices, branch offices, or liaison points in Vietnam to accelerate the development of import-export processing industries and commercial logistics. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Publicity Department, Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, and Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce in accordance with their respective duties)

(3) Plan and organize cross-border industrial cooperation guided by market demand

6. Establish a model cross-border aluminum industry chain. Utilize bauxite resources from Australia, Indonesia, Laos, and other countries to build a cross-border industry chain featuring “overseas cooperative bauxite mining—on-site conversion of bauxite into alumina overseas/alumina production in Wenshan—deep processing and sales in Wenshan.” Utilize recycled aluminum raw materials from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries to build a cross-border industry chain featuring “overseas collection and pre-treatment of aluminum scrap—recycled aluminum production in Wenshan—on-site conversion into aluminum alloys.”Explore the establishment of industrial cooperation mechanisms with overseas regions and industrial parks concentrated in aluminum resource development to create a demonstration base for aluminum industry cooperation within the RCEP region. (The Matang Industrial Park Management Committee, the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, and the Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties)

7. Establish a cross-border industrial chain for traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Leveraging Japan and South Korea’s technological and financial strengths in R&D, manufacturing, and testing within the biopharmaceutical sector, we will strengthen cooperation with domestic and international distributors and retail outlets to accelerate the formation of a cross-border development model for the Panax notoginseng industry: “Japanese and South Korean capital and technology—Wenshan Panax notoginseng raw materials and processing—national/global markets.”Support enterprises in importing raw materials such as white cardamom, milky vine, cloves, and pepper. Encourage eligible enterprises to establish raw material production bases and primary processing facilities in ASEAN countries to accelerate the construction of a cross-border traditional Chinese medicinal materials industrial chain featuring “ASEAN raw materials—Wenshan processing—national/global markets.” (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, Sanqi Industrial Park Management Committee, and Municipal Forestry and Grassland Bureau, in accordance with their respective duties.)

8. Plan and promote the cross-border textile industry chain. Guide and encourage textile enterprises to shift from domestic sales to exports, and encourage enterprises to engage in apparel export business targeting international markets.Guide enterprises to leverage RCEP tariff differentials, regional cumulation rules for origin, and the low-cost labor advantages of ASEAN countries to engage in the export of textile raw materials and intermediate products, thereby establishing a cross-border industrial chain of “domestic/imported raw materials—Wenshan production of textile intermediates—garment manufacturing in RCEP countries such as Vietnam—re-export to the domestic market or sales to Europe, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.” (The Municipal Development and Reform Bureau and the Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties.)

(IV) Accelerate the Expansion of Market Entities and Strengthen the Endogenous Driving Force of Foreign Trade Development

9. Intensify efforts to cultivate foreign trade entities. Support foreign trade enterprises with a track record of import and export activities to continue expanding and strengthening their operations. Focusing on enterprises with import and export potential and those conducting import and export business through agents outside the province, guide enterprises to transition from commissioned exports to self-operated exports; increase efforts to attract import and export enterprises.Unlock the export potential of enterprises not yet engaged in foreign trade; conduct surveys on enterprises’ intentions to engage in foreign trade; implement “one-on-one” on-site services and categorized guidance; and cultivate and add a new batch of enterprises integrating domestic and foreign trade, as well as foreign trade import-export enterprises. Utilize existing resources such as startup incubation bases and industry associations to strengthen the cultivation of foreign trade entities. (The Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, the Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, the Municipal Tax Bureau, and the Municipal Market Supervision Administration shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties)

10. Focus on attracting key entities in line with development priorities. Centering on Wenshan City’s modern industrial system, attract a group of foreign trade enterprises, export-oriented manufacturing enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises, and logistics enterprises targeting RCEP countries, and secure the establishment of major projects with significant import-export spillover effects. Actively attract comprehensive foreign trade service enterprises; encourage enterprises to transition into comprehensive foreign trade service enterprises. Accelerate the cultivation and introduction of cross-border e-commerce entities. Strengthen the role of investment promotion as a key pillar for boosting foreign trade.(Responsibility lies with the Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, the Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, the Sanqi Industrial Park Management Committee, and the Matang Industrial Park Management Committee, in accordance with their respective duties)

(5) Fully leverage domestic and international resources to enhance the ability to secure orders and expand markets

11. Encourage enterprises to expand into RCEP markets. Encourage enterprises to optimize the layout of their international marketing networks and utilize domestic and international search engines, e-commerce platforms, and social media to expand into markets in RCEP member countries. Guide enterprises in conducting product certification, international trademark registration, and overseas patent applications. Encourage enterprises, cooperatives, and other entities to cultivate foreign trade and market expansion teams, as well as specialized marketing teams for key markets. Encourage enterprises and business associations to establish an export alliance for Wenshan City’s key industries to promote information sharing and collective expansion into overseas markets.Strengthen cooperation with the Economic and Commercial Sections of Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, provincial-level commercial representative offices overseas, industry associations, Chinese overseas chambers of commerce, and intermediary agencies to intensify promotional efforts for the RCEP market. (The Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, and Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties)

12. Make full use of key exhibition platforms. Effectively organize participation in major domestic exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the Canton Fair, the South China Fair, and the China (Guangxi) International Fair for Trade and Investment. Continue to successfully host the China-Vietnam (Wenshan-Ha Giang) International Trade and Tourism Fair. Elevate the caliber of existing events such as the Wenshan Sanqi Festival and the China Green Aluminum Valley Forum to further leverage their role in promoting economic and trade activities.Organize online and offline commodity exhibitions and buyer-seller matching events for RCEP member countries such as Vietnam and Thailand. Encourage enterprises to participate in domestic and international industry-specific trade fairs. Innovate exhibition models by guiding enterprises to expand markets and secure orders through “online + offline” approaches, overseas proxy participation, and virtual exhibitions. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce, the Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Municipal Finance Bureau, and the Municipal Sanqi Resource Development and Utilization Center, in accordance with their respective duties)

(6) Accelerate the Attraction of Foreign Investment and the Development of Trade in Services with the Goal of Improving Quality and Efficiency

13. Deepen cooperation in trade in services. Implement the opening-up measures in the RCEP regarding trade in services in fields such as traditional Chinese medicine, tourism, transportation, and commerce. Guide traditional Chinese medicine enterprises and medical institutions to provide traditional Chinese medicine services to consumers in RCEP countries.Launch initiatives targeting RCEP countries, including student recruitment, vocational skills training, and academic exchange and cooperation. Further deepen tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges with RCEP countries. Encourage the introduction of high-quality services from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries in fields such as healthcare, R&D and design, environmental protection, and commercial services. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Education and Sports, the Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, the Municipal Branch of the Ecological Environment Bureau, the Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce, the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and the Municipal Bureau of Health and Wellness, in accordance with their respective duties)

14. Intensify efforts to attract foreign investment. Establish a project database and enterprise database targeting RCEP countries, and ensure comprehensive support services for foreign investment. Step up investment promotion efforts targeting Japan and South Korea in sectors such as biomedicine, new energy, elderly care services, and equipment manufacturing; Singapore in sectors such as finance, biomedicine, and tourism and culture; and Thailand in sectors such as biomedicine and tourism and culture. Continuously expand channels for foreign investment and actively apply for loan projects from international financial organizations and foreign governments.(Responsibility lies with the Sanqi Industrial Park Management Committee, the Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, the Municipal Health Bureau, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Municipal Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce Bureau, in accordance with their respective duties)

(7) Intensify promotional and training efforts to provide effective services regarding RCEP rules

15. Strengthen the organization of policy training. Organize promotional training sessions on RCEP policies beneficial to enterprises, with a focus on training in the application of rules such as tariff concessions for goods trade, rules of origin, trade facilitation measures, and commitments on investment and service liberalization. Conduct research on “one country, one policy” and “one product, one policy” approaches for RCEP rules, taking into account industrial strengths and market opportunities under the RCEP.Guide and train enterprises to effectively utilize the “Online Customs Statistics Query Platform”; strengthen customs statistical monitoring, analysis, and data services, and regularly conduct foreign trade analysis and trend assessments. Enhance commercial dispute mediation capabilities and provide enterprises with foreign-related legal services. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce and the Municipal Bureau of Justice in accordance with their respective duties)

(8) Improve Logistics Infrastructure

16. Intensify the construction of logistics transportation networks, trading and distribution hubs, and warehousing facilities to improve the efficiency of goods circulation, reduce logistics costs, and enhance the capacity to serve domestic and international commodity flows. (Municipal Transportation Bureau, Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, and Municipal Bureau of Industry, Information Technology, and Commerce, responsible according to their respective duties)

III. Support Measures

(1) Strengthen Organizational Implementation. Fully leverage the role of the Wenshan City Leading Group for Accelerating RCEP Integration to coordinate and advance RCEP-related work. The Leading Group shall convene meetings regularly or as needed to study and implement major RCEP policies and matters. Member units of the Leading Group must fulfill their respective responsibilities, form a united front, and fully implement all tasks specified in this plan, reporting progress to the Leading Group Office on a quarterly basis.

(2) Strengthen Talent Development. Deepen the implementation of the “Talent-Driven Prefecture” strategy for the new era, focusing on attracting and cultivating a pool of professionals in foreign languages, foreign affairs, and foreign trade. Organize enterprises to conduct training on foreign economic and trade business skills. Establish a multi-stakeholder talent cultivation system for foreign economic and trade professionals involving government, educational institutions, and enterprises, and strengthen the training of practical-oriented talent.

(3) Strengthen Monitoring of Implementation Outcomes. Intensify efforts to advance implementation and conduct oversight inspections to ensure tasks are carried out effectively. Enhance evaluations of the plan’s implementation progress and outcomes, extensively collect feedback on difficulties and issues encountered by enterprises during RCEP implementation, and promptly adjust work measures as needed.