In response to the State Council's important deployment to "increase the intensity of training related to the implementation of the agreement," the Ministry of Commerce held the second online thematic training session on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement on March 22-23. The training focused on the impact of RCEP on industries, helping local governments and enterprises to familiarize themselves with the content and rules of the agreement, improve management levels and policy utilization capabilities, and enhance their ability to participate in international cooperation and competition.
The China National Light Industry Council attached great importance to this thematic training session. President Zhang Chonghe personally instructed that the relevant organizational work be done well. To implement President Zhang's instructions and promote more member enterprises to understand RCEP, the China National Light Industry Council actively took the lead in organizing over 520 people, including representatives from 30 national industry associations (leather, wine, home appliances, musical instruments, etc.), 4 local industry associations, and 37 member enterprises such as Haier Group, Kweichow Moutai, and Yanjing Beer, to participate in the online thematic training.
During the training, Yu Benlin, Director-General of the Department of International Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, provided a comprehensive explanation of the overall situation of RCEP and how enterprises can effectively seize opportunities. Yu Benlin pointed out that enterprises should seize the opportunities brought by the agreement and also properly address the challenges. They should thoroughly understand the impact of goods trade on industrial development, make good use of the rules of origin cumulation, and deeply participate in the dynamic adjustment of industrial chains and supply chains; they should seize the new opportunities brought by the opening up of RCEP's services and investment, improve management levels and the ability to utilize the agreement, and enhance their ability to participate in international cooperation and competition; they should deeply explore favorable policies, make full use of various benefits, and maximize the effectiveness of RCEP.
Guo Yongxin, Executive Secretary-General of the China National Light Industry Council, participated in the teaching at the main venue of the Ministry of Commerce. He introduced the opportunities and challenges brought by the RCEP agreement to the light industry and put forward suggestions for coping with them. He pointed out that the full implementation of RCEP will promote the foreign trade and development of the light industry. However, at the same time, RCEP will also bring two major challenges to the light industry: firstly, the transfer of low-end and labor-intensive industries in the domestic value chain to overseas; and secondly, the investment and establishment of factories in China by high-end industries in foreign value chains, leading to more intense competition with Chinese enterprises in the Chinese market. Guo Yongxin gave five suggestions for the light industry to meet these challenges: firstly, to lay out industries across the region; secondly, to use international standards as a passport for expanding exports; thirdly, to do a good job in responding to trade frictions; fourthly, to increase brand recognition and enhance brand value; and fifthly, to strengthen technological innovation and value chain enhancement.

Source: China National Light Industry Council