On 8 July 2021, the 2021 International Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, co-hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters (CCCMC) and the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), was held in Beijing. With the theme of "Dialogue with the World, Share Joint Development", the forum combined the opportunities and challenges of trade and commerce under RCEP in the post-pandemic era, and carried out in-depth discussions and exchanges on hot and difficult issues in the foreign trade industry. Around 200 participants attended the meeting, including representatives from embassies of ASEAN Member States (AMS) in China, the Ministry of Commerce of China, China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation, experts and enterprise representatives. Mr. Jiang Hui, Chairman of CCCMC, and Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of ACC, attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the forum.

Jiang Hui said 2021 is the year when China builds a new “dual-circulation” development pattern and implements the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan. The acceleration of regional economic and trade cooperation, especially the signing of RCEP, will bring new opportunities for China's foreign trade development and help build new advantages in international economic competition and cooperation. At the same time, the external environment facing the development of enterprises is still complex and severe. He suggested that enterprises should fully integrate into the RCEP market. He stated that CCCMC will build an international communication platform to help enterprises achieve steady and long-term development.

Chen Dehai said 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-China dialogue relations and the ASEAN-China Year of Sustainable Development Cooperation. Over the past 30 years, with the joint efforts of both sides, ASEAN-China cooperation has grown by leaps and bounds and become the most successful and dynamic model of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. ACC is willing to continue to play the role as a bridge and make unremitting efforts to promote ASEAN-China practical cooperation for common progress and prosperity. 

Officials from the embassies of Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand in China then introduced their economic development and foreign investment policies. Representatives from the Ministry of Commerce of China and financial institutions analyzed the main rules of RCEP and the opportunities for its signatories, and shared with enterprises the latest economic and trade development situation, the future trend of exchange rates, the current situation of international trade logistics and coping strategies, and other issues of concern to enterprises.