The China (Ningxia) ASEAN Economic and Trade Matchmaking Conference was held in Yinchuan, Ningxia, on Aug 29.
At the conference, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Committee released three lists and one guide in collaboration with Yinchuan Customs.
These included the Ningxia Export RCEP Zero-Tariff Advantageous Product List, Ningxia Import RCEP Zero-Tariff Advantageous Product List, Ningxia Advantageous Industry Goods Trade Tariff Reduction List, and the Guide for Ningxia Enterprises on Utilizing RCEP Goods Trade Tariffs and Rules of Origin.
In 2023, Ningxia enterprises conducted import and export trade with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership countries worth 5.67 billion yuan ($798.36 million), accounting for 28 percent of Ningxia's total trade.
Chen Wenbin, deputy director of the Royal Thai Embassy in China, expressed hopes that this event would promote trade in specialty agricultural products between Thailand and Ningxia, foster eco-tourism development, and encourage sustainable tourism practices.
Yang Tianhua, president of the ASEAN-China Commerce Association, said that Ningxia and ASEAN regions will establish closer connections, providing more cooperation in transportation, cultural tourism, natural resource trade, new energy technology, and green technology.
During the conference, 27 cooperation projects were agreed upon. The projects encompass emerging fields such as e-commerce, cultural tourism, and cross-border e-commerce, in addition to the trade of traditional goods and services worth 2.35 billion yuan.
In 2023, the imports and exports between Ningxia and ASEAN reached 3.47 billion yuan, accounting for 16.9 percent of Ningxia's total trade.
During the first half of this year, Ningxia maintained a strong trade momentum with ASEAN countries. Products such as monocrystalline silicon wafers, frozen potatoes, and diols saw robust demand in ASEAN markets, while Ningxia imported significant quantities of silicon, fruits, and machine parts from ASEAN countries.