This supplement, prepared by China Daily, People's Republic of China, did not involve the news or editorial departments of New Straits Times.
MORE than five months after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership came into force, foreign diplomats in China said the forms of intraregional trade will be further diversified and facilitated, enriching the Asia-Pacific region's economic vitality through inclusive and sustainable economic recovery amid the pandemic.
As the RCEP is a trade deal between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, they said the pact will reinforce regional trade and investment and help companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, gain better access using both traditional and new foreign trade formats, including cross-border e-commerce and international trade, and boost global gross domestic product in a sizable market that covers a third of the world's population.
Eager to ship more products to China in the coming years, the consuls-general of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, took part in a livestreaming event in late March to promote trade-related innovation and business ties between China and the ASEAN.
The diplomats promoted products such as Vietnamese coffee, Thai latex pillows and Malaysian Musang King durian to domestic consumers and interacted with audiences online by partnering with a TikTok livestreamer.
The consuls-general also recommended Guangxi specialties, such as jasmine tea, tangerines, edible bird's nests, medical supplies and luosifen rice noodles to Southeast Asian countries via Lazada, a cross-border e-commerce platform.
"Since the outbreak of the pandemic, more Thai consumers have taken a liking to online shopping," said Benjamas Tanvetyanont, Thailand's consul-general in Nanning.
"This event will further enhance trade ties between Thailand and Guangxi, as well as support the tangible growth of the RCEP."
Azlimi Zakaria, consul-general of Malaysia in Nanning, said: "Taking into account the pandemic situation, there is no better time for us to dive into the e-commerce sector where we are able to shop and also have a glimpse of the world around us and understand how other people live their lives by the products they use.
Cross-border e-commerce collaboration between Malaysia and China, particularly in Guangxi, is set to expand even further as both countries are serious about the growth of this sector, he said.
Backed by Malaysia's favourable natural conditions, Zakaria said, the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, the flagship project of investment collaboration between the two countries, has already established a processing trade base for edible bird's nests in Guangxi.
At present there are three preprocessing centres in Malaysia that have been registered overseas by China's General Administration of Customs. The trade base for edible bird's nests in the park is operated by 15 bird's nest production and processing companies, 11 of which have been approved by the Chinese government for deep processing qualifications.--CHINA DAILY