STORY: Three years of RCEP: barriers reduced, trade boosted, regional growth fostered
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Jan. 1, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:41
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Beibu Gulf Port in Guangxi, China, a port basically achieving complete coverage of the seaports of ASEAN members
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Japanese): HIDETOSHI TASHIRO, Chief economist, Japan's Infinity LLC.
3. various of Chulalongkorn University
4. various of Guangxi-Vietnam border trade and transportation
5. various of GAC Aion car factories in Thailand
6. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CHAIPONG PONGPANICH, Associate Professor, Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University
7. various of fruit industries in Thailand

STORYLINE:

Since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, it has enhanced regional economic integration by boosting trade and reducing barriers.

Experts believe it has fostered industrial complementarity and opened up new market opportunities for ASEAN countries and beyond.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Japanese): HIDETOSHI TASHIRO, Chief economist of Japan's Infinity LLC.
"It is crucial to uphold the free trade system, and reaching a consensus on this should be the first priority. Everyone should work together to maintain it.
To achieve this, we should fully utilize the existing free trade mechanisms, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The free trade system benefits not only developing countries but also developed ones."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CHAIPONG PONGPANICH, Associate Professor, Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University
"I think RCEP would play a critical role. It would have a significant impact on the region. If you look at ASEAN, which has been in place for a very long time, the countries now have a flow of trade among ASEAN regions. For example, you are manufacturing cars in the regions, that means that you have access to the big market, not only in Thailand. 
RCEP is not just only for the people in the region, but also expands into countries that are members of RCEP, which means bigger markets. And hopefully, that will be a bigger impact on the key economies of the country members. So, that would mean that, hopefully, since the economy would improve, people would have more jobs, and in a way, in terms of social impact, it would improve as well."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)