Since January 1, 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been in effect. It has and will continue to initiate changes in trade, investment and industrial development within the region. As one of the significant compositions of the RCEP agreement, the RCEP technical measures to trade also serve as an important base for the importation and exportation of RCEP members. This article will make a general analysis of the system and characteristics of China and other RCEP members in terms of technical measures to trade (TBT), and give suggestions to foreign stakeholders. 

Overview of the technical measures to trade of RCEP members

Between 1995 and February 2022, a total of 13,704 technical measures to trade have been reported by RCEP member states under WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO/TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO/SPS). Most of the reports came from China, Korea and Japan. Thailand ranked the highest in the reporting cases in ASEAN. More reports are made among the higher levels of economically developing countries, while other countries are on the rise regarding such reports.

In terms of TBT systems in RCEP member states, ASEAN countries have mostly adopted international standards and own a rather comprehensive technical regulation system. However, their short board is on conformity assessment. Japan and Korea’s standard systems have wide coverage with a high-level adoption of international standards and a strict conformity assessment system. Australia and New Zealand own a joint standard drafting mechanism that would enable over 80% of their standards to be shared amongst the two countries. They’ve also built a conformity assessment system that would in some ways facilitate the entering of foreign goods into their markets.  

Characteristic and comparison analysis