"RCEP Building Materials Consumption Updates & Trends " hosted by Foshan China Ceramic City Group Co., Ltd. was grandly held in the business conference room on the 5th floor of China Ceramic City on April 18, 2024, at 14:30 in the afternoon. This event received careful guidance from the RCEP Industry Cooperation Committee, Foshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, and Foshan Chancheng District Economic and Technological Promotion Bureau, and also received strong support from the Malaysian Building Materials Agents Association, Cambodian Building Contractors Association, Singapore Building Materials Merchants Association, China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, and China-Philippines Chamber of Commerce.

The seminar brought together representatives of building materials agents, builders, and industry associations from RCEP member countries to discuss the current situation and trends of the building materials market, aiming to promote cooperation and development in the building materials industry within the region. The event attracted nearly 100 leading enterprises responsible for the RCEP market to jointly discuss how to leverage the advantages of the Foshan Ceramics Fair and RCEP to help enterprises expand international markets and enhance competitiveness.

At the beginning of the meeting, Zhou Jun, Co-Chairman and President of Foshan China Ceramic City Group, pointed out in his speech that China Ceramic City is widely recognized as a major export base for architectural sanitary ceramics in the ceramic industry. The growth of Chinese ceramic brands is inseparable from international cooperation. Faced with the intense competition in the domestic market, choosing to cooperate with RCEP countries and expand international markets has become an important strategic choice for Chinese ceramic enterprises.

△Zhou Jun, Co-Chairman and President of Foshan China Ceramic City Group

During her address, Lin Min, a Level Four Researcher from the Foshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, introduced the renowned manufacturing landscape of Foshan to the audience, emphasizing Foshan's significant position as the capital of Chinese ceramic and sanitary ware. She highlighted the phrase "If there's a home, it must have been made in Foshan," illustrating how more and more RCEP countries are opening their doors to China. This closer connection in economics, culture, politics, and other aspects is bringing new opportunities to Foshan's building materials industry.

△Lin Min, a Level Four Researcher from the Foshan Municipal Bureau of Commerce

RCEP is the world's largest free trade agreement, with ASEAN accounting for 30% of the global economy, population, and trade volume. This provides significant facilitation for trade and investment among its member countries. As China's largest trading partner, ASEAN is poised to become the country's largest investment destination with the assistance of RCEP.

Chairman Xu Ningning pointed out that according to various forecasts, ASEAN's economic growth in the coming years is expected to surpass the global average. With the ASEAN "no-war" status and its promotion of the ASEAN Economic Community, China-ASEAN relations are stable and improving. Therefore, with a stable development environment both inside and outside ASEAN, Chinese enterprises must attach importance to the ASEAN market, seize opportunities presented by RCEP, and help enterprises expand into broader international markets.

Chairman Xu Ningning also offered several suggestions for Chinese enterprises to explore the ASEAN market:

1. Chinese enterprises should collaborate rather than engage in cutthroat competition, avoiding price wars and sharing business opportunities.

2. Emphasize local operations and adopt a low-profile approach, such as refraining from extravagant opening ceremonies.

3. In addition to complying with laws and regulations, respect and fully consider local culture and customs. For example, inappropriate practices include prominently displaying Chinese characters in signage while minimizing local languages.

4. Make full use of overlapping free trade agreements. For instance, although Vietnam is a signatory to RCEP, it also has FTAs with countries like the UK. Enterprises can leverage these overlapping advantages effectively.

△Chairman Xu Ningning of ASEAN-China Business Council

Vice President Wang Pengda of the Malaysian Building Materials Agents Association introduced the significant role played by the association in facilitating communication and cooperation between the Malaysian building materials industry, government agencies, international organizations, and other industry peers. He also mentioned that energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building materials products, as well as large-scale rock panels, are becoming increasingly popular. He expressed anticipation for Chinese enterprises to introduce more building materials products tailored for the Malaysian market.

△Vice President Wang Pengda of the Malaysian Building Materials Agents Association

Viscount Han Qiangchou, Executive Vice President of the Cambodian Building Contractors Association, expressed warm congratulations on the convening of the meeting. Since the implementation of RCEP, the China-ASEAN Building Materials Industry Cooperation Council has played an important role in promoting regional cooperation. Vice President Han stated that currently, the Cambodian building materials market is still in its early stages, while China is the world's largest producer of building materials with a well-established ecosystem across various chains such as design, talent, and production. He expressed hope for relevant Chinese companies to expand their presence in Cambodia.

△Han Qiangchou, Executive Vice President of the Cambodian Building Contractors Association

The representative from the Cambodian Building Contractors Association (CCA) elaborated on Cambodia's current economic situation and domestic investment using a series of data. They provided in-depth insights into the current state of the Cambodian construction industry in recent years and outlined future development plans for the domestic construction sector. The representative also mentioned that the CCA currently has over 215 associate members and 77 regular members, aiming to establish the Cambodian construction industry as a reliable, productive, responsible, and competitive sector in both domestic and international markets.

Since 2018, the CCA has been playing the role of an organizer, actively arranging business trips, technical seminars, international exhibitions, and other physical events to facilitate communication and exchange opportunities for its members and enterprises. They have also facilitated member visits to countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam for learning purposes. Currently, the CCA hopes to continue its close cooperation with China to safeguard the interests of the construction industry.

The representative of the Cambodian Building Contractors Association proposed the following visions:

1. Advocating for the ethical development of construction engineers.

2. Establishing partnerships to promote cooperation among builders.

3. Encouraging and supporting the capacity building of association members.

4. Safeguarding the rights and interests of members and enterprises to develop the construction industry.

5. Promoting the application of high-tech solutions within the national construction industry.

△The representative from the Cambodian Building Contractors Association (CCA) 

Secretary-General Lin Tefa of the Singapore Building Materials Merchants Association pointed out that in 2023, there was a significant demand for ceramic and sanitary ware products in Singapore. Due to the relatively limited housing space in Singapore, there is a need for the industry ecosystem of the Chinese building materials sector to assist in designing the most practical solutions within these constraints.

△Secretary-General Lin Tefa of the Singapore Building Materials Merchants Association

Dr. Yin Hong, Secretary-General of the Foshan Ceramic Industry Association, presented the current status and development trends of the ceramic industry in Foshan during the thematic sharing session. Dr. Yin highlighted that Foshan's ceramic industry boasts a complete industrial chain and advanced equipment, making it a significant production base for global rock panels and smart toilets. Dr. Yin emphasized the importance of cooperation, complementarity, and mutual benefit.

△Dr. Yin Hong, Secretary-General of the Foshan Ceramic Industry Association

During the interactive session, Ms. Chen Mei, the founder of the MCM brand, who has deep experience in international markets, shared profound insights into the internationalization of Chinese ceramic brands. She pointed out that although Chinese ceramic products are competitive in terms of quality and price, they have not yet gained corresponding brand influence in international markets. She expressed her hope for collective collaboration to enhance brand strength, leveraging the association's support to facilitate business development and establish more effective cooperation with associations of RCEP member countries.

△Ms. Chen Mei, the founder of the MCM brand

The "RCEP Building Materials Consumption Updates & Trends" has provided valuable information and suggestions for the international development of the Chinese ceramic industry, injecting new vitality into industrial cooperation and regional economic integration among RCEP member countries. The continuous growth of demand in areas such as the building materials market in ASEAN countries creates an expectation for Chinese enterprises to further expand into the ASEAN market and deepen cooperation with Chinese industries within the RCEP framework.

As the host of the world's ceramic industry, the CeramBath not only witnesses, participates in, and promotes the continuous development and transformation of the Chinese ceramic and sanitary ware industry but also serves as a key platform and important window for Foshan ceramics, and even Chinese ceramics, to integrate with the world and internationalize. Under the RCEP mechanism, Chinese enterprises, through the platform of the Foshan Ceramic Fair, strengthen cooperation, share resources, and complement each other's strengths with other enterprises, thus jointly promoting the vigorous development of the Chinese ceramic industry under the RCEP agreement, achieving broader regional cooperation, and deeper mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.