"After RCEP came into effect, Japanese enterprises are looking forward to it. Japanese wine is very popular in China, and the reduction of food tariffs will give them greater development opportunities." Takashi Akiba, deputy director of the Guangzhou Representative Office of the Japan Trade Promotion Agency, said excitedly that the consumer Expo has become a "place of opportunity" for enterprises to seek new growth points. Since the regional comprehensive economic partnership agreement (RCEP) came into force this year, RCEP regional cooperation has been deepening. On July 27, the RCEP regional cross border e-commerce import (B2C) index report was released for the first time at the 2022 consumer innovation forum of the consumer Expo. The report shows that the total index of cross-border e-commerce retail imports in RCEP region shows a trend of "wave by wave, rapid growth and cyclical changes". While more international brands seize the opportunity to enter the Chinese market, Guangdong enterprises are also extending the industrial chain in RCEP countries and improving the global layout. According to Ou Zhenxing, Deloitte's managing partner in South China, RCEP countries such as Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, the Greater Bay area and ASEAN are highly complementary, and RCEP rules can be used to flexibly carry out overseas layout. Bring in?? Cross border e-commerce drives RCEP regional digital trade. "Our exhibition area has expanded by 1.5 times this time, attracting many Japanese enterprises to participate." Akiba longchong introduced that the number of Japanese enterprises increased from 19 to more than 40 in the first exhibition, which not only increased the number of high-quality consumer goods mainly cosmetics, but also showed a lot of Japanese wine and Japanese goods from cross-border e-commerce, and set up an experience area to taste Japanese wine and try Japanese cosmetics on site. "We hope that consumers can place orders for their favorite products through cross-border e-commerce." Akiba longchong said. At this consumer Expo, RCEP member countries showed high enthusiasm for participation. The total exhibition area of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and other member countries exceeded 5000 square meters, an increase of nearly 20% over the first session. RCEP has reduced the tariff cost of cross-border trade between members, among which the traditional high tax industries, such as food, agriculture, consumer goods and automobile, are the most affected. With the gradual reduction of tariffs in a certain period of time, consumers will buy Japanese cars, Australian skin care products, New Zealand honey, Malaysian fruits, etc. at a cheaper price. The B2C index report released at the consumer Expo also confirms this trend. The report focuses on overseas small and medium-sized enterprises, and presents the development trend of digital trade in the region in combination with the trade scale, enterprise development, market demand and consumption experience of RCEP countries in tmall global. The report shows that the general index of cross-border e-commerce retail imports in RCEP region shows a trend of "rising wave by wave, rapid growth and cyclical changes", with an increase of 1.96 times in 3.5 years. The annualized growth rate from 2019 to 2021 reached 33.2%, which is 1.69 times that of the "China ASEAN trade index" of the General Administration of Customs in the same period, reflecting the strong vitality of digital trade in RCEP region. Among them, the index of cross-border import trade scale of RCEP countries grew the fastest, reaching 43.8%; From the perspective of market demand, the brand stickiness of RCEP countries continues to rise and continue to meet the import consumption demand of Chinese people. The report also pointed out that the Chinese market, which was the first to recover from the epidemic, showed strong domestic demand potential, and the new cross-border e-commerce model was flexible and innovative, attracting regional brands to accelerate their entry into China and expand their sales market. Take tmall global as an example. In the past year, on average, more than 400 overseas new brands settled every month. So far, more than 29000 overseas brands from 87 countries and regions have entered tmall global, covering more than 5800 categories, of which more than 80% of brands have entered China for the first time. "On the basis of basically consistent with the national economic trend, RCEP regional cross-border e-commerce retail imports superimpose the seasonal characteristics of e-commerce, rise wave by wave, and develop faster than the overall trade market and regional general trade imports, showing vitality. At the same time, regional brands' confidence in the Chinese market and domestic demand for goods from regional countries are less affected by the epidemic, reflecting the resilience of the cross-border e-commerce industry." Said Wang Haoyang, vice president of Alibaba B2C retail business group. Go out?? Make good use of RCEP rules and flexibly layout the overseas market. At the Consumer Fair, RCEP member countries showed high enthusiasm for participating in the exhibition. Many Guangdong enterprises are also looking forward to seizing the opportunity of RCEP and exploring a larger market. "RCEP countries are the key markets we develop. The microwave ovens, ovens, refrigerators, washing machines, small household appliances and other products sold in these markets account for about 10% of our total exports. With the growth of market demand in Southeast Asia, the proportion is increasing." The relevant person in charge of Galanz said. "We will deeply study RCEP national market, develop more marketable products in combination with market characteristics, and increase localized operations." The relevant person in charge of Galanz said that Galanz has set up a research and development center in Japan to help local promotion with overseas research and development, and will also increase the promotion of its own brands in Vietnam, South Korea and other countries in the future. In Europe's view, with RCEP promoting the continuous integration of Asia Pacific Economic and trade cooperation, the Asia Pacific region is expected to gather the world's largest production chain, supply chain and consumption chain in the future. "In terms of industrial structure and development status, RCEP countries such as Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Great Bay area and ASEAN are highly complementary. Enterprises can use RCEP rules to flexibly carry out overseas layout, and refine raw material parts procurement, industrial chain construction, and foreign investment." In recent years, digitalization has driven a new round of Global trade. "Digital trade has become an important growth force, and Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay area has the potential to become an important force and digital trade highland leading the digital transformation of Global trade." Ou Zhenxing said. Yixian e-commerce from Guangzhou is actively expanding the markets in Japan and Southeast Asia, and selling products through shopee, lazada, Amazon and other cross-border e-commerce platforms. "Perfect diary has entered the Southeast Asian market since 2020, with sales exceeding 50million yuan in that year and reaching 78million yuan in 2021. In April 2022, perfect diary ranked first in cosmetics sales at shopee Singapore and Vietnam sites, and ranked first in lip makeup sales at Malaysia sites." The relevant person in charge of Yixian e-commerce said. "The degree of e-commerce in overseas markets is generally lower than that in China. Therefore, offline is a must for strategists in overseas markets, and offline penetration will even feed back the penetration of the whole brand." The relevant person in charge of Yixian e-commerce admitted that for an enterprise starting from e-commerce, it needs more accumulation and exploration to enter the overseas market and expand offline channels. "We will become an enterprise with 'chips' by building factories, production bases, R & D laboratories, and creating quality systems, and make in-depth alliances with more brands around the world to serve global consumers." (Xinhua News Agency)