Malaysia, China to exchange trade certificates electronically from 2026

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia will enter into a joint arrangement with China on the Electronic Data Exchange of Certificates of Origin under the Asean-China Free Trade Area and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreements, the Trade Ministry said on Thursday (Nov 13).

The agreement is expected to be signed in November, with the first phase of implementation targeted to begin in January 2026, the ministry said in a statement.

The initiative is expected to reduce the transmission time for documents, expedite the verification of certificate authenticity, and enhance the security and confidentiality of Preferential Certificates of Origin.

As such, it said it will minimise the risk of misuse by unauthorised parties.

“The adoption of electronic data exchange will further streamline trade activities through secure and encrypted information-sharing between relevant authorities in both countries,” it said.

The Ministry added that this will also enable customs in both countries to strengthen compliance, enhance enforcement, improve import duty collection, and ensure the accurate application of tariff rates on traded goods between both countries. REUTERS