This aerial photo taken on May 11, 2023 shows an automatic container terminal of Qinzhou Port and a railway container distribution center in Qinzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - A total of 19,834 certificates of origin involving $568 million were issued under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement by Chinese authorities in November, official data showed on Wednesday.

The number of certificates of origin marks a year-on-year growth rate of 20.83 percent, Zhang Xin, spokesperson of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, told a press conference.

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The certificates were issued to 3,434 enterprises last month, up 12.41 percent from a year earlier, according to Zhang.

The certificates are expected to reduce tariffs by 9 million dollars for Chinese products in RCEP importing countries, Zhang said.

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Certificates of origin are documents widely used in international trade transactions. They state that the products listed have met sufficient criteria to be considered as originating in a particular country. The issuance of these certificates is widely regarded as a barometer of foreign trade.