Upstream News: 'Paper Gold' Boosts the 2 Trillion Market! After ten years of the China Korea Free Trade Agreement, these enterprises have made profits

The reporter learned from the General Administration of Customs that the bilateral trade volume between China and South Korea reached 2.1 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 1.6%. China has been South Korea's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years.
Behind the data lies the rigid implementation of tariff reduction policies by customs.
The China South Korea Free Trade Agreement, the first bilateral free trade agreement signed between East Asian countries, has become the "ballast stone" for stabilizing China South Korea economic and trade relations and the "accelerator" for promoting cooperation between the two sides. Under the framework of the China Korea Free Trade Agreement, both sides will ultimately achieve the goal of zero tariffs on over 90% of their products, covering many fields such as automotive parts, chemical products, and agricultural products. Currently, the second phase of negotiations for the China South Korea Free Trade Agreement is steadily advancing, and both sides are expected to achieve new breakthroughs in cooperation in areas such as service trade and investment.
Certificate of Origin - the "paper gold" for enterprises to enjoy tariff preferences under free trade agreements, is also the core lever for customs to implement the agreements. National coordination, local issuance, intelligent review, and precise supervision - China Customs builds an origin management system; Customs in various regions assume the responsibility of issuing certificates of origin for exported goods and provide convenient and efficient visa services for enterprises.
In Tianjin, Samsung (Tianjin) Battery Co., Ltd. imported spherical graphite from South Korea and obtained a 6.5% tariff reduction from Chinese customs upon import based on the certificate of origin under the China Korea Free Trade Agreement; The produced lithium-ion battery cells are exported as intermediate goods to South Korea and receive tariff reductions from South Korean customs. The cross-border free flow of raw materials and components has been achieved, significantly reducing the tariff costs of the regional industrial chain and helping enterprises seize opportunities in the global market.
Aiqiti Modern Hydraulic Machinery (Changzhou) Co., Ltd. exports reducers and other products to South Korea and enjoys tariff preferences with the certificate of origin under the China Korea Free Trade Agreement, gradually reducing tariffs from 8% to 0%. Last year, the company applied for over 1000 certificates under the guidance of Nanjing Customs, with a visa amount of 400 million yuan, fully enjoying policy dividends and stable production and shipment.
In the SCO demonstration zone, Jiaozhou Customs under Qingdao Customs has issued over 11000 certificates of origin under the China Korea Free Trade Agreement for local automotive supporting products, with a total visa amount of 4.28 billion yuan. Local plastic, stainless steel products and other advantageous products continue to expand their market share in South Korea with certificates. Qingdao Kelong Car Industry Co., Ltd. exports car seat covers, and the tariff rate for this product is continuously decreasing from 8% and will eventually drop to 0%. In the first 11 months of 2025, the company's export volume has doubled compared to the same period before the agreement came into effect, successfully establishing itself in the Korean market.
Fuzhou Customs promotes the convenient visa model of "intelligent review+self-service printing", allowing enterprises in the customs area to complete certificate applications without leaving their homes. In the first 11 months of last year, certificates of origin under the China Korea Free Trade Agreement were issued for 5.44 billion yuan worth of goods exported to South Korea, a year-on-year increase of 57.2%.
At the same time, the Tax Administration Bureau of the General Administration of Customs (Shanghai) took the initiative to deepen communication and cooperation with the South Korean Customs Department, establish a rapid response mechanism for disputes related to preferential customs clearance, and promptly resolve issues such as origin verification and tax rate application encountered by enterprises during customs clearance in South Korea, ensuring that Chinese exported goods can smoothly enjoy preferential treatment in South Korea. Since the signing of the agreement ten years ago, more than 2000 responses have been received from the South Korean side regarding origin verification.
In response to the differentiated needs of enterprises of different industries and scales, China Customs has launched the "One Enterprise, One Policy" targeted assistance measure, which allows policy dividends to directly reach market entities through various methods such as policy preaching, on-site guidance, and platform empowerment.
Shanghai Customs has collaborated with multiple parties to conduct policy research, customized preferential schemes for over 200 key enterprises, and guided the use of smart platforms to grasp preferential policies. For the import business of Daile International Trade (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., the customs relies on the intelligent matching function of tariff codes to adapt to preferential tax rates, guide standardized declaration, and support green customs clearance. In 2025, the company will enjoy preferential treatment for nearly 74 million yuan of imported goods and reduce taxes by more than 8 million yuan.
Xiamen Customs conducted research on 3729 enterprises, resolved over 100 technical issues related to their place of origin, and assisted them in applying the rules of origin to enjoy preferential tariffs under the agreement. Promote cooperation between customs and local authorities, achieve interconnectivity between the "China Customs Preferential Origin Service Platform" and municipal and district government service platforms, and weave a dense network of origin services.