Imports of fresh-cut flowers from Ecuador have surged in China, spurred by the China-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that came into effect on May 1 this year.
The deal, inked in May 2023, stipulates that approximately 90 percent of the products traded between China and Ecuador would be exempted from tariffs, with about 60 percent of these products enjoying immediate zero tariffs.
At the Beijing Capital International Airport, a consignment of Ecuadorian roses passed smoothly through customs via a dedicated "green channel" for perishables.
"This shipment of flowers arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport at around 03:00 this morning. If importers request expedited processing, we can initiate inspections right away, completing all clearance formalities in about an hour from the time the flowers are offloaded," said Huang Penglei, a customs officer.
As the day breaks, Beijing's flower markets come alive with buyers in search of sought-after varieties, such as New Zealand peonies, South African proteas, and Ecuadorian roses.
The FTA has set in motion a gradual reduction of tariffs on Ecuadorian fresh-cut flowers from 10 percent to zero over a five-year period.
Customs data reveals that from June to August alone, Beijing imported 136,000 Ecuadorian roses, up 41.1 percent year on year.
"The tariff [on Ecuadorian fresh-cut flowers] has dropped from 10 percent to 8 percent. This reduction allows us to offer better prices, which we directly pass on to consumers," said Song Xiaochen, a flower importer.
The trade pact extends to other Ecuadorian products, including bananas and coffee, with tariffs on these products also set to phase out to zero in coming years.
Lower tariffs have improved price competitiveness, boosting business for logistics companies.
Ecuadorian flower imports bloom in China under new trade deal
The week-long fifth and final U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting opened on Monday in Busan, South Korea, aiming to securing an international treaty to curb plastic pollution.
In March 2022, at the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), a historic resolution was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
The resolution requested the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop "the instrument," which is to be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, including its production, design, and disposal.
The INC began its work during the second half of 2022, with the ambition to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024.
From November 2022 to April this year, four sessions of the INC were held.
At the ongoing meeting in Busan, negotiators gathers in a final push to create the treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution.
The ever-increasing plastic pollution, one of the most serious environmental problems facing mankind, has sparked widespread concerns among countries, and has led to an urgent need to find alternatives to plastic.
According to data released by the UNEP, with the recycling rate less than 10 percent, approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped. This does not just have a huge effect on the environment, but on human health as well.
Every year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide, one third of which is used just once, said the UNEP.
According to estimates, an equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes every day.
Every year, about 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems every year, polluting lakes, rivers and seas.
In addition, plastic production also contributes to more than 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the climate crisis.
So far, more than 140 countries and regions across the globe have formulated policies to ban or impose restrictions on the use of plastics.
Analysts say that finding alternatives to plastic is an effective way to cut down the use of plastics and alleviate plastic pollution at the source, and it is also a top priority for the world to cope with the crisis brought by plastic pollution.
5th UN plastics treaty talks begin in South Korea
