In April 2026，commercial certification data from CCPIT showed that 34840 RCEP certificates of origin were issued，up 13.77% year on year；the certified value reached USD 987 million，up 16.40% year on year。The overall certified value of preferential certificates of origin increased by 22.21% year on year。This trend indicates that exports of cultural and tourism services to RCEP member countries such as ASEAN，Japan，and South Korea are accelerating the realization of tariff reduction benefits，with high-value-added service trade formats such as customized travel services becoming the main beneficiary areas。

Event Overview

On May 29，2026，CCPIT released the commercial certification data of the national trade promotion system for April 2026：during the month，a total of 34840 certificates of origin under RCEP were issued，with a certified value of USD 987 million，representing year-on-year increases of 13.77% and 16.40% respectively；during the same period，the certified value of all preferential certificates of origin increased by 22.21% year on year。The notice stated that the relevant growth reflects that China’s cultural and tourism service exports are accelerating their access to RCEP tariff reduction policy benefits，especially benefiting customized travel service exports targeting ASEAN，Japan，and South Korea markets。

Which Sub-sectors Are Affected

Direct Service Export Enterprises（Including Outbound Travel Agencies and Cross-border Cultural and Tourism Service Providers）

Such enterprises are the direct applicants for RCEP certificates of origin and direct beneficiaries of the policy。RCEP implements tariff concessions or access facilitation for certain supporting products related to cultural and tourism services（such as travel equipment，digital guide devices，multilingual service solution deliverables，etc.），and their exported goods can enjoy tariff reductions and exemptions in the importing country with RCEP certificates。The impact is mainly reflected in enhanced competitiveness of export quotations，optimized contract fulfillment cost structures，and increased customer willingness to purchase。

Supply Chain Service Enterprises（Including International Logistics，Customs Declaration Agents，and Certification Agencies）

As the application volume for RCEP certificates continues to grow，enterprises’ demand for efficient，compliant，and localized certification services is rising simultaneously。The impact is reflected in increased document processing volume，higher requirements for practical interpretation capabilities of RCEP rules，and greater time-efficiency pressure for cross-regional collaborative responses。

Channel Circulation Enterprises（Including OTA Platforms and Regional Distributors Targeting RCEP Markets）

Although channel parties do not directly apply for certificates，they need to assist upstream service providers in completing origin compliance preparations，and reflect RCEP tariff advantages on product pages and in contract terms。The impact is mainly reflected in the need to update front-end marketing language，the advancement of back-end supply chain compliance review procedures，and the increased weight given to evaluating partners’ RCEP adaptability。

Key Points Relevant Enterprises or Practitioners Should Focus On，and How to Respond at Present

Pay Attention to the Latest Developments in Product Tariff Reduction Lists of RCEP Parties

What deserves more attention at present is each RCEP member country’s specific classification interpretation and tariff reduction schedule adjustment for “goods related to travel services”。For example，Japan will implement the second-stage tariff reduction on intelligent voice translation terminals starting in 2026，and enterprises need to compare HS codes to confirm whether they fall within the applicable scope，so as to avoid incorrect or omitted applications。

Distinguish Structural Changes Behind Growth in Certified Value

From an industry perspective，the year-on-year increase in certified value（+16.40%）is higher than the increase in the number of certificates（+13.77%），suggesting an increase in the average value per certificate。It is more appropriate to interpret this as a rising share of exports of high-unit-price cultural and tourism equipment or integrated service solutions，and enterprises should review their own export category structures and identify high-potential combined product lines。

Sort Out in Advance the Compliance Attributes of Service Deliverables Targeting ASEAN，Japan，and South Korea Markets

According to the analysis，the notice specifically identifies “customized travel service exports” as a key beneficiary area。Enterprises need to compare the RCEP schedule of service commitments to clarify whether their service content falls under open modes such as “commercial presence” or “cross-border supply”，and assess whether supporting materials such as origin declarations and service process descriptions are required to meet inspection requirements of the importing country。

Optimize the Internal Document Collaboration Mechanism

Observations show that the increase in certification volume places higher requirements on horizontal collaboration among business，legal，and customs affairs departments。It is recommended that enterprises already engaged in RCEP exports establish a “certificate application trigger checklist”，linking milestones such as contract signing，production scheduling，and logistics booking with the certificate preparation process，so as to avoid impacts on customs clearance efficiency and customer settlement caused by delayed documentation。

Editorial Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observably, this data point reflects early-stage operational uptake of RCEP’s tariff benefits in service-related goods exports—not yet a broad-based structural shift, but a measurable signal of policy translation into transactional activity. The disproportionate growth in certificate value versus volume suggests selective adoption by higher-margin exporters rather than across-the-board participation. Industry attention should therefore focus less on headline growth rates and more on the consistency, scalability, and regional diversification of certificate usage over coming quarters.

Conclusion

This data shows that RCEP rules of origin have produced initial implementation effects in the field of goods related to cultural and tourism service exports，but they are still in the stage of structural release。At present，it is more appropriate to understand this as an orderly transmission process of policy benefits to service export entities with compliance capabilities and market focus，rather than a universal growth inflection point。The industry needs to follow up on rule adaptation at a pragmatic pace，and avoid simply equating the phased increase in certification volume with the completion of market expansion。

Information Source Statement

Main source：the “Statistical Data Notice on Commercial Certification of the National Trade Promotion System in April 2026” issued by CCPIT on May 29，2026。Areas requiring continued observation：whether RCEP member countries will further refine origin determination standards for service-type deliverables，and whether the growth rate of certificate issuance volume in subsequent months will remain stable。