On May 5, 2026, the RCEP Secretariat, in conjunction with the customs authorities of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, officially launched the 'RCEP AI Intelligent Verification Platform for Origin'. This system allows B2B independent websites to transmit electronic certificates of origin (e-CO) data in real time via a standard API and obtain AI pre-verification results. Chinese export companies whose websites have not completed API integration will be unable to enjoy RCEP tariff reductions during customs clearance for overseas buyers and will be marked as 'high-risk traceability suppliers'. This change requires close attention from sub-sectors such as cross-border exports, digital trade, and supply chain digitization services.

Event Overview

On May 5, 2026, the RCEP Secretariat, in conjunction with the customs authorities of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, officially launched the 'RCEP AI Intelligent Verification Platform for Origin'. This platform provides a standard API interface for B2B independent websites, allowing companies to upload e-CO data in real time and receive AI-driven pre-qualification results for origin. Currently, publicly available information clarifies that only e-COs generated by independent websites that have completed API integration can be automatically recognized by the customs systems of the six countries and included in the RCEP tariff reduction process; e-COs issued by unintegrated websites will not be recognized during customs clearance, and the corresponding exporter will be marked as a 'high-risk traceability supplier' by the system.

Which sub-sectors will be affected?

Direct trading enterprises

Businesses that export via their own independent websites (such as sellers of industrial components, consumer electronics, and home goods) are directly affected. The validity of their e-COs no longer depends on the paper or PDF document format, but rather on whether structured data has been transmitted back to the RCEP verification platform via API. The impact manifests as: longer customs clearance times, increased tariff costs, decreased buyer purchasing intentions, and damage to long-term cooperative relationships.

Processing and manufacturing enterprises

Companies with export qualifications but relying on third-party foreign trade companies or platforms to declare the country of origin may be required by buyers to provide verifiable e-COs if their own websites handle customer inquiries, order confirmations, or contract signing. The impact will be that buyers will include API integration capabilities in their supplier onboarding assessments, and companies without API integration will face order diversion or stricter qualification reviews.

Supply chain service companies

Organizations providing services such as certificate of origin processing, customs brokerage, and cross-border compliance consulting must upgrade their service deliverables from "issuing certificates" to "delivering verifiable data." The impact is that existing paper/email delivery methods become ineffective, requiring the reconstruction of technical integration capabilities or collaboration with SaaS service providers possessing API integration capabilities; otherwise, their service capabilities will be marginalized in the market.

Channel distribution enterprises

For traders primarily engaged in import distribution and multi-country transfers within the RCEP region, if their upstream Chinese suppliers' websites have not completed API integration, they will be unable to verify the origin of goods in the destination country's customs system, leading to the entire shipment being stuck at port or being forced to pay the most-favored-nation tariff rate. The impact manifests as: increased barriers to supply chain collaboration, requiring prior verification of the e-CO verification readiness status of upstream manufacturers.

What key areas should relevant enterprises or practitioners focus on, and how should they respond at present?

Pay attention to the API technical specification updates released by the RCEP Secretariat and the customs authorities of the six countries.

The platform is now online, but details such as the progress of customs system integration, field validation rules, and error feedback mechanisms in various countries are not yet fully standardized. Enterprises need to continuously monitor the RCEP website and customs announcements of various countries, paying particular attention to whether the e-CO data structure (such as HS coding levels, nested manufacturer information formats, and digital signature algorithm requirements) has undergone iterative adjustments.

Prioritize key markets and complete API integration in phases.

Customs authorities in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand have confirmed that they will rely 100% on this platform to verify e-COs starting in July 2026; a six-month transition period has been set for China, Japan, and South Korea. Companies should prioritize completing API integration for independent websites related to orders from buyers in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, and then gradually cover other markets to avoid impacting core business delivery due to excessive technical investment.

Verify the coupling between the existing e-CO issuance process and the standalone system.

Most companies' e-COs are generated by a single system (such as Single Window, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade platform, or an ERP module), but are not integrated with the official website's order/contract module. Currently, it needs to be confirmed whether the official website can automatically trigger the e-CO application after a buyer places an order, and whether it can receive and display the AI pre-approval status codes returned by the API (such as 'Pending', 'Approved', 'Rejected-Field-Missing'), rather than just providing a static PDF download.

Include API integration capabilities in the due diligence checklist for new suppliers.

When selecting Chinese factories or ODM partners, importers, brand owners, and large distributors should list "whether they support RCEP e-CO API automatic verification" as a hard compliance requirement, and stipulate the responsibility for data return and the time limit for handling anomalies in the procurement agreement to reduce their own customs clearance and contract fulfillment risks.

Editor's Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observably, this launch is not merely a technical upgrade but a structural shift in origin qualification enforcement — moving from document-based verification to real-time, system-to-system data trust. Analysis shows it functions less as an immediate penalty mechanism and more as a phased compliance signal: the 'high-risk supplier' label is currently algorithmic and reversible upon API integration, not a permanent blacklisting. From an industry perspective, the platform's true significance lies in accelerating the de facto standardization of digital trade infrastructure across RCEP — where website capability becomes part of trade compliance, not just marketing.

Conclusion

The launch of the RCEP AI-based origin verification platform marks a shift in origin management from single-point document compliance to end-to-end system collaboration. It is not a one-off policy change, but rather a crucial milestone in the digital implementation of RCEP. Currently, it is more accurately understood as the starting point of a mandatory technical adaptation requirement, the depth of its impact gradually unfolding as customs systems in various countries switch over. Enterprises should adopt a pragmatic approach to API integration while maintaining dynamic monitoring of rule refinements and regional implementation differences.

Information source explanation

Main sources: RCEP Secretariat official website announcement (May 5, 2026), General Administration of Customs of China's "Notice on Matters Related to the Launch of the RCEP AI Origin Verification Platform" (Shu Tong [2026] No. 28), and General Department of Customs of Vietnam Circular No. 112/GSQL-KTSTQ (April 29, 2026). Parts to be continuously monitored: Specific switchover timelines and detailed procedures for manual verification during the transition period for customs authorities in Japan and South Korea.