Research on World Agricultural Economy

The Value-Added Effect of Trade Facilitation under RCEP: Empirical Analysis of China's Tropical Fruit Imports from ASEAN

Yangyang Wei Wei

Putra Business School, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang 43400, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v7i2.2746

Received: 16 September 2025; Published: 17 June 2026

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Abstract

This study explores the effect of trade facilitation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on Southeast Asia's agricultural trade, focusing on China's imports of tropical fruits from ASEAN. While existing research links trade facilitation to general merchandise trade, this paper addresses the gap in perishable agricultural products by employing panel data (2014–2024) from 7 ASEAN countries. A comprehensive Trade Facilitation Index (TFI) is constructed via principal component analysis (PCA), and an extended gravity model with fixed effects is applied. Results show that a 0.1 unit increase in ASEAN's TFI raises China's tropical fruit import value by 8.23% (p < 0.01), confirming the hypothesis. Robustness checks, including variable replacement and sample adjustments, validate the findings. Policy implications emphasize RCEP's role in reducing non-tariff barriers, such as improving infrastructure and customs efficiency. The study contributes to the literature by quantifying the value-retention effect of facilitation on high-sensitivity goods, offering insights for ASEAN-China cooperation. Methodologically, the TFI integrates 26 indicators across four dimensions, and the model controls for GDP, distance, and exchange rates. This empirical approach enhances the understanding of trade facilitation's impact on specialized agricultural value chains.

Keywords: Trade Facilitation; Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); Agricultural Trade; Gravity Model; Tropical Fruits; ASEAN‑China Trade

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