At 0:00 on Jan. 1 this year, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into force, marking the sailing of a free trade zone being the largest in population, economic and trade scale with the greatest development potential in the world. As a free trade area in the northeastern region leading to the sea and air gates in the world, Dalian Free Trade Area, under the leadership of the Working Committee, Management Commission of Jinpu New District, comprehensively implements the work requirement of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government for high-quality implementation of RCEP, spares no effort to forge a new engine for deepening the RCEP regional economic and trade cooperation, a new highland for the RCEP enterprises entering Chinese cutting edge and high-quality docking with the RCEP economic and trade rules. Recently, the journalists from the major media in our city have visited Dalian Free Trade Area to physically experience the measures and achievements made by the Area to be first to seize the RCEP opportunity and make all efforts to forge an upgraded version of the pilot free trade zone, and published and broadcast a series of reports.

Here are all the contents published in Dalian Daily:

Around the Dragon Boat Festival, Koyo Bearing Dalian Co.,Ltd. located in Dalian Free Trade Area carried out production at a full capacity to meet the market demands of the RCEP member countries.

Koyo Bearing, as a subsidiary company under Japan Jtekt Group, is mainly engaged in producing various precision bearings sold to the RCEP member countries, such as Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. After the RCEP came into effect, the company became the first  approved exporter under RCEP in Northeast China. Now in exporting goods, instead of applying for certificate of origin from the customs for orders one by one, it can just have the declaration of origin having the same effect as the certificate of origin issued. As a result, the enterprise can arrange the production and export of goods more flexibly. As goods can directly enjoy preferential customs clearance in the importing countries, both the capital pressure and customs clearance costs are reduced. The company principal told the reporter happily: "Becoming an approved exporter enjoying the RCEP dividends can further improve the competitiveness of the company's products in the market and make its performance reach a new high continuously."

Since the RCEP came into force officially, Dalian Free Trade Area has actively worked with the departments of customs, maritime affairs, port authority, etc. to jointly build a RCEP service platform, further improve the level of trade facilitation and help enterprises seize new RCEP opportunities. Currently, the Management Commission of the Area has held four lectures favoring enterprises and 2 special enterprise salons, in which customs experts were invited to interpret such  basic knowledge as RCEP tariff reduction, rules for place of origin, operation for enterprises to enjoy benefits, etc., instruct on "one to one" basis the key enterprises on how to apply the approved exporter qualification under RCEP and certificate of origin. Due to helping enterprises reduce costs and increase benefits, they were widely welcomed. "Dalian Customs and the Management Commission of the Free Trade Area, due to having helped us solve many problems in the actual operation of RCEP, are very helpful for us to flexibly apply the RCEP rules for place of origin." Relevant principal of the logistics headquarters of IRIS (China) Group said. 

In order to facilitate enterprises to apply for certificate of origin and enjoy tax preferences, Dalian Free Trade Area and the provincial Council for the Promotion of Trade have worked jointly to move the international commercial certification business acceptance window forward to the Administrative Service Hall of the zone, where the enterprises registered in the zone can directly apply for the commercial certification businesses of certificate of origin, etc. at a much higher efficiency. In addition, the Management Commission of the zone and Bank of China Dalian Free Trade Area Sub-branch have jointly launched the new mode of "whitelist + online financing" to help the key enterprises in the zone be the first to seize the RCEP market opportunities. Compared with general enterprise clients, those enterprises included in the "whitelist" for management need not provide a lot of complicated materials in paying capital items, cross-border RMB settlement, goods trade settlement and other international and domestic collection and payment businesses. As a result, the time taken for business handling is significantly shortened, and it is very convenient for the enterprises in the zone to handle the international businesses of exchange collection and payment for import and export, etc. At the same time, the bank also provides the enterprises with a more convenient financing channel to lower the financing threshold. "From the application for a loan by an enterprise to the release of the loan, a minimum of one day is taken with the whole process being handled online." The principal of the Inclusive Finance Business Department of Bank of China Dalian Free Trade Area Sub-branch told the reporter.

Dalian Bonded Zone Yesheng Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., as an enterprise among the first group included in the "whitelist" for management, is mainly engaged in producing wooden tableware for export to Japan and Korea. Since the RCEP came into force, the enterprise has overcome the impact of the epidemic to have their production vitality fully stimulated. In the first half of this year, the export volume recovered to the level of the same period in 2019. Not long ago, the enterprise obtained a loan of RMB 800,000 yuan through the new mode of "whitelist + online financing". The company principal said: "The online financing mode for the 'whitelist' enterprises provides a strong support for them to further expand the international market. It is expected that the export volume this year will reach USD 11 million, being a significant increase from the same period last year."

Relevant principal of the Management Commission of Dalian Free Trade Area told the reporter that next, the Free Trade Area will establish a green channel for RCEP project examination and approval and service secretaries, integrate the internal resources and connect the external resources, provide services of "relay type for the whole project life cycle". It is intended to establish a RCEP think tank alliance and an expert team, hold expert forums and consulting activities on regular basis, conduct RCEP practical training and follow-up surveys jointly with the departments of customs, commerce, etc., improve the ability of enterprises to apply RCEP, encourage and guide more enterprises to apply for and become advanced certified enterprises and approved exporters, and enjoy relevant conveniences.