The 4th China (Yunfu, Guangdong)—RCEP Industrial Cooperation Conference opened on October 17 in Xinxing County, Yunfu City, drawing approximately 350 domestic and international guests.
Since the inaugural conference in 2023, RCEP member states have remained Yunfu's largest trading partner for four consecutive years.
Yunfu's foreign trade has surged alongside its deepening regional ties. From January to August 2026, the city's total foreign trade volume reached a record high of 10.12 billion yuan for the period, up 22.8 percent year-on-year. This growth has kept Yunfu among the top performers in Guangdong Province for eight consecutive months.
Trade with RCEP member states specifically reached 2.31 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.7 percent. The city has issued over 2,000 RCEP certificates of origin, helping 560 million yuan worth of exported goods enjoy tariff benefits. Following the launch of its cross-border e-commerce customs clearance center, Yunfu's cross-border e-commerce trade reached 110 million yuan in the first eight months of 2026.
Domestically, Yunfu has built six municipal-level specialty industrial parks focused on stone materials, green daily chemicals, Southern Chinese medicine (cinnamon) and kitchenware. This has attracted 13 foreign-invested enterprises from RCEP member states to Yunfu, with a cumulative investment of 410 million yuan.
Agricultural exports are a major driver of this growth. Luoding City, a county-level city under Yunfu, exported over 4,000 tons of cinnamon last year, successfully opening markets in Vietnam and other RCEP member states. Luoding currently has 500,000 mu (about 33,333 hectares) of cinnamon plantations, accounting for roughly a quarter of the province's total.
Luoding's 31 major processing enterprises sell 30,000 tons of cinnamon bark and 1,300 tons of cinnamon oil annually, generating an annual output value of 1.2–1.5 billion yuan. This makes Luoding the largest county-level exporter of cinnamon products in China, with goods reaching Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
Meanwhile, Yunan County is taking a "lighter" approach to global expansion with its wampee (Clausena lansium) products. In August this year, a promotional event was held in Guangzhou to officially launch the "Cloud Trade Port" export initiative for Yunan's premium products. Some of its more than 100 deep-processed products, including dried wampee, juice and fruit vinegar, are now reaching overseas markets in North America and the Middle East.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photo | Nanfang Plus
