自贸区玄机

Unveiling the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area

19亿人口、6.5万亿美元国内GDP、4.5万亿美元年贸易额、世界上最大的自由贸易区,一切看起来都很诱人。2010年1月1日,中国—东盟自由贸易区全面落实,关于它的美好前景正在被期待。前景是光明的,但是,请别着急,道路也许是漫长曲折的:关税尚未完全减让,新东盟4国还在时间表上;相互开放不仅意味着出口便利,同时也有进口带来的竞争加剧;关税降了,但也许贸易壁垒仍在;别以为东盟只对中国开放,它还花心地惦记着日本、韩国、印度呢。零关税的背后有着重重玄机,擦亮眼睛才能更好前行。

The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area was officially launched on 1 January 2010. With a population of 1.9 billion,a total gross national product of close to USD 6 trillion,and a trade volume of USD 4.5 trillion,it is the largest free trade zone implemented by developing countries.Chinese enterprises will have easier access to ASEAN markets under the cooperative framework.And firms from ASEAN countries will find it more convenient to do business in China than previously. But there are preconditions.Chinese firms must apply for certificates of origin before they can take advantage of the preferential policies of the free trade area.Besides, the ten ASEAN countries have different schedules of tariff reduction for which firms must continue to wait. And inevitably the ASEAN countries will still maintain some trade barriers to protect their domestic industries. In fact,some counties improved their internal tax rates when reducing customs tariffs.Inspection standards may become stricter and the customs clearance process more rigorous. These are some of the obstacles that Chinese firms will have to face in the future.In addition,they will face larger numbers of strong competitors because ASEAN countries will also launch free trade areas with Japan,South Korea,and India.This means that cheap, low-quality Chinese products will face many difficulties in the ASEAN markets.