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The first RCEP certificate of origin for cargos exported to Malaysia, which was issued by Jiaxing Customs on March 21. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

Jiaxing Customs in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, issued the first Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership certificate of origin to cargos exported to Malaysia on March 21 after the RCEP agreement for Malaysia entered into force on March 18.

China started to adopt the first-year tariff rates on parts of imports from Malaysia according to the RCEP agreement and new tariff reductions and exemptions are implemented on Chinese exports to Malaysia.

They include processing aquatic products, cocoa, cotton yarn and fabrics, chemical fiber and stainless steel. Also included are Malaysian exports to China such as canned pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut juice, pepper and other agricultural products.

Malaysia is China's second-largest trading partner in ASEAN, while China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years.

From January to February this year, bilateral trade volume between the two sides reached $29.45 billion, up 28.1 percent year-on-year, 12.2 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of China's foreign trade in the same period, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs.

To help local companies benefit from the RCEP, Jiaxing Customs has organized five training sessions this year and has notified relevant foreign trade companies by phone of the RCEP's preferential policies.

In the first two months of the year, Jiaxing Customs had issued 1,070 RCEP certificates of origin to cargos worth 320 million yuan ($50.33 million), exempting local companies from about 3.20 million yuan in tariffs.