Shanghai has been actively leveraging the benefits of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world's largest free trade agreement, to accelerate its high-level opening-up. Three years after RCEP's implementation, Shanghai Customs reported that the city's imports under the partnership enjoy the highest benefits among all customs districts in China, with imports and exports valued at a total of 189.23 billion yuan ($26 billion), averaging an annual growth rate of nearly 27 percent.

RCEP has facilitated the free flow of production factors within the region, including raw materials, products, technology, talent, capital, and data, broadening and deepening cooperation among member countries. Shanghai's three leading industries — integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence — have seen their combined scale reach 1.8 trillion yuan, benefiting greatly from RCEP's tariff concessions and rules of origin.

To maximize the benefits for enterprises, Shanghai Customs has strengthened policy promotion through various channels and introduced innovative projects like the "RCEP Benefit Package", which provides tailored advice to enterprises based on data analysis. Additionally, customs has optimized operational processes, enabling over 99 percent of RCEP certificates of origin to be applied for, reviewed, and printed online.

Looking ahead, Shanghai Customs plans to further enhance its services and regulatory efficiency, helping more enterprises fully utilize RCEP benefits and bolstering Shanghai's status a hub for high-level opening-up and high-quality development.