In the three years since the inception of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Fujian's foreign trade has surged dramatically.

Fuzhou and Xiamen Customs have jointly issued 82,000 RCEP certificates of origin, facilitating exports valued at 33.52 billion yuan ($4.58 billion) and enjoying tariff reductions of 125 million yuan on 7.3-billion-yuan worth of imports.

XTC New Energy Co Ltd, situated in Xiamen city's Haicang district, is said to exemplify the success story.

Leveraging RCEP's advantages, to date the company has obtained 303 certificates of origin, saving over 14.04 million yuan in tariffs. It says the strategic move has not only controlled costs, but also expanded its market reach effectively.

With the ongoing impact of RCEP, ASEAN has emerged as Fujian's primary import and export partner, while ASEAN, Japan and South Korea have all witnessed a surge in bilateral investments with the region.

In 2024 alone, Fujian's trade with ASEAN hit 447.36 billion yuan, marking an 8.4 percent increase year-on-year. Additionally, trade with other RCEP members reached 700.73 billion yuan, reflecting 4.1 percent year-on-year growth.

Statistics revealed that in 2024, Fujian's imports and exports with ASEAN reached 447.36 billion yuan, an 8.4 percent year-on-year increase, while imports and exports with other RCEP member countries reached 700.73 billion yuan, a 4.1 percent year-on-year increase.

Indeed, since its enactment in 2022, Fujian's trade with other RCEP members had soared to 2.05 trillion yuan by December 2024.

Currently, Fujian is capitalizing on RCEP’s benefits, enhancing trade openness and supporting enterprises to expand globally. The province is said to be poised to deepen its engagement in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and regional collaborations like RCEP in 2025.