Trade between China's Guizhou and RCEP members up 22.7 pct in first 11 months

GUIYANG, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Trade between southwest China's Guizhou Province and the member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) totaled 16.14 billion yuan (about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of this year, a year-on-year growth of 22.7 percent, according to local customs authorities.

Main exports included fertilizers and tires, and the main imports were metal minerals and rubber, Guiyang Customs said, noting that Guizhou's trade with RCEP member countries contributed approximately 30 percent of its total foreign trade.

The RCEP agreement, came into force on Saturday, is the world's largest free trade agreement. It was signed on Nov. 15, 2020, by 15 Asia-Pacific countries -- 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia and New Zealand -- after eight years of negotiations that started in 2012.