China Exports Research Articles

Export cost of air pollution: A regression discontinuity design

This study examines the impact of air pollution on exports in China using a regression discontinuity design based on the Qinling Mountains-Huai River line. The findings show that air pollution harms firm exports, with a more pronounced impact on non-state-owned enterprises, heavily polluting industries, and densely populated regions. Specifically, a 1 % increase in air pollution correlates with an average reduction of 0.661 % in exports. These inhibitory effects are mainly caused by decreasing productivity, reducing markup rates, damaging regional quality reputations, causing labour resource misallocation and strengthening environmental regulations. Although air pollution spillovers from neighbouring cities may temporarily boost local firm exports and total production, they do not fully mitigate the overall negative impact of air pollution.

Trade Complementarity and Substitutivity between China and Nigeria in Exports: Evidence from the Data in 1996-2022

This study examined the China and Nigeria’s export relations with a view to determining the mutuality of the trade benefits to both countries. Using data for the period 1996 to 2022 from World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) database, the paper estimated four distinct measures of trade relations (the revealed comparative advantage index, the trade integration index, the complementarity index and the export similarity index) and then analyzed the effect of trade complementarity and substitutivity on exports of Nigeria and China respectively. Based on the findings, China’s top export destination in sub-Saharan Africa is Nigeria, and one of Nigeria’s top export destinations globally is China. Furthermore, the comparative advantage index showed that China has a comparative advantage in manufactured goods, capital goods, consumer goods, intermediate goods, and mechanical and electrical goods, whereas Nigeria has a comparative advantage in fuels and basic materials. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s trade integration index showed that Nigeria’s trade connections to China are weak, while China’s trade integration index showed that its ties to Nigeria are strong. This implies that China depends less on Nigeria’s exports and that Nigeria is more dependent on China’s exports. In addition, Nigeria’s and China’s export structures differed significantly, but it was determined that these trade links are advantageous to both parties and increased their respective export trade. However, the two countries’ trade rivalry will jeopardize their mutual benefits from trade in addition to sharply lowering the volume of their respective exports.

The Impact of Cross-border E-commerce Development on China's Export Trade

The Impact of Cross-border E-commerce Development on China's Export Trade

Partner heterogeneity and driving factors of China's export embodied energy intensity

Although China's energy consumption is very high, foreign demand has become crucial factor affecting China's energy consumption due to exports. A detailed analysis of the embodied energy intensity of China's exports from the demand side could provide valuable insight into promoting China's energy-saving development. This paper explores disparities in the embodied energy intensity of China's exports to different trading partners and the energy supply structure behind these exports. Furthermore, it explores the driving factors of export embodied energy intensity using multiplicative structural decomposition analysis. The results show that China's export embodied energy intensity to developing countries, such as India, is higher than that of European and American countries; however, a convergence trend has emerged over time. Regarding the driving factors influencing changes in export embodied energy intensity over time, the sectoral energy intensity effect plays a pivotal role in promoting its decline, while the production structure and export structure effects change from inhibition to weak promotion. The adjustment of export structure has significant potential for reducing China's export embodied energy intensity, especially in emerging economies. Finally, this paper proposes policy directions for collaborative opening up, energy saving, and emission reduction goals.

Analysis of China's Export Efficiency and Potential of Digital Products to RCEP Countries-based on the Stochastic Frontier Gravity Model

Analysis of China's Export Efficiency and Potential of Digital Products to RCEP Countries-based on the Stochastic Frontier Gravity Model

How Does Trade Liberalization in Imports Affect China's Export Growth Pattern?

Abstract Optimizing export growth patterns and improving the quality of export trade have become prominent issues that need to be addressed urgently in the context of increasing global economic uncertainty. This study utilizes matched data from the CEPII database (1995–2020) and WTO tariff database, adopts a product-level perspective based on the triple margins of exports, and uses an individual-time two-way fixed-effects model to investigate the impact of import trade liberalization on China's export growth pattern. The research findings are as follows: (1) Increasing levels of import trade liberalization are beneficial for enhancing the extensive margin, intensive margin, and quantity margin of products, while exerting a restraining effect on the price margin. This strengthens the price advantage of Chinese products, indicating that import trade liberalization helps optimize China's export growth pattern. (2) Compared with the intensive margin, import trade liberalization has a more significant promoting effect on the extensive margin. (3) The conclusions drawn from heterogeneity analysis suggest that trade liberalization has a more pronounced effect on the extensive margin, intensive margin, and quantity margin of products in medium-high technology industries, differentiated products, and intermediate goods. This study holds important theoretical and practical significance for evaluating the economic benefits of expanding imports, optimizing China's export growth pattern, and improving the quality of export trade.

The Impact of High‐standard Free Trade Areas on the Diversifi cation of China's Export Products: Expanding Market or Intensifying Competition?

The Impact of High‐standard Free Trade Areas on the Diversifi cation of China's Export Products: Expanding Market or Intensifying Competition?

Comments by Nam Seok Kim, on How Does Trade Liberalization in Imports Affect China's Export Growth Pattern?

Comments by Nam Seok Kim, on How Does Trade Liberalization in Imports Affect China's Export Growth Pattern?

A Study of Factors Influencing China's Agricultural Exports to Japan

As a key focus of trade negotiations between China and Japan, trade in agricultural products has received special attention to the tariffs and preferential conditions involved. According to data provided by China Customs, China's agricultural exports to Japan fell after peaking in 2012 and fell further to 9.64 billion yuan in 2020. This paper selects the 2000-2021 china export agricultural products trade data from the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce to Analyze the trade status of Japan, and finds that the scale of trade shows an expanding trend, and there are fluctuations in some years. Establish a business gravity model, study the effectiveness and potential of developing China's agricultural export trade with Japan, and analyze various factors affecting the effectiveness of agricultural export trade, and the results show that there is room for progress in China's agricultural export trade with Japan, and the scale of trade can be further expanded. Finally, it proposes to further improve the export efficiency of agricultural products, stabilize the exchange rate, improve import and export policy control and further broaden the foreign trade market, optimize the trade structure and promote the quality of agricultural products.

Revisiting the carbon-economic inequality within global value chain considering corporate heterogeneity: Evidence from China's trade

The mismatch between trade-embodied economic benefits and CO2 emissions gives rise to inherent inequality within the era of global value chains (GVCs), whereas the existing accounting framework failed to distinguish between multinational corporations and local firms. Taking China as a case study, this study developed a novel Inter-country Input-output (ICIO) model based on the trade in factor income (TiFI) principle, while considering corporate heterogeneity. The findings reveal that when bilateral trades are measured in terms of trade in traditional value added (TiVA) principle, China's trade surplus with five partners was overestimated by 61 % from 2010 to 2015, with the United States being particularly overvalued by nearly 45 %. At the industry level, the Non-metallic manufacturing and Retail sectors accounted for over 10 % of China's exports, surpassing TiVA in terms of market share, indicating that China's contribution to crucial export sectors is underestimated. However, the evaluation based on the TiFI principle revealed a 27 % reduction in the overall carbon deficit, indicating that China's contribution to global carbon emissions continued to decline. The carbon-economic inequality (CEI) index between China and its trading partners indicates a value greater than or equal to 1, implying that China has encountered setbacks in global carbon trading. Notably, the application of the TiVA principle results in an underestimation of CEI between China-United States and China-South Korea, with respective values ranging from −0.13 to 0.27 and − 0.05 to 0.05. Overall, this study offers valuable scientific evidence towards addressing accountability and promoting climate justice.

The efficiency of China's export trade with Africa and its influence mechanism

AbstractThis paper calculates the trade efficiency of China's exports to Africa by considering trade inefficiency factors, such as Chinese aid to Africa and Chinese contracted projects. Based on a stochastic frontier gravity model and data for China's exports to 38 African countries from 2010 to 2020, this study draws the following conclusions. First, trade inefficiencies, such as China's aid and contracted projects, play a positive role in promoting China's export trade to Africa. Second, the efficiency of China's export trade to Africa varies significantly in different regions, among which countries with high export trade efficiency are concentrated in North and South Africa. Third, the trade potential and trade expansion space of China's exports to Africa vary significantly among different product sectors, which provides much space for promoting trade policy. We highlight that China's government should develop differentiated regional trade policies due to regional heterogeneity in terms of export trade efficiency between China and African countries.

The heterogeneous effects of transportation infrastructure on trade-embodied CO2 transfer: A multi-scale perspective

This paper investigates the heterogeneous impact of transportation infrastructure on trade-embodied CO2 emission (TEC) transfer. First, a multi-scale input-output (MSIO) model is developed to analyze the TEC from 31 Chinese provinces to 64 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. Then, the panel quantile regression and Markov Chain Monte Carlo optimization methods are applied to estimate the impact of transportation infrastructure on TEC, taking into account the provincial heterogeneity. The main results are as follows: (1) The TEC of China's exports to BRI countries amounted to 311.01 Mt CO2 annually from 2012 to 2016, with significant variations in TEC characteristics among different Chinese provinces. (2) China's transportation infrastructure network density (TID) predominantly exhibited a negative impact on exported TEC across various quantiles. Specifically, a 1% increase in TID was associated with a decrease in TEC ranging from approximately 0.25% to 3.99%. (3) As quantiles increased, the impact of transportation-converted turnover in China on TEC also rose, with a range of 0.66% to 0.94%. This study identifies the crucial regions and sectors of TEC from a ‘provincial-national-global’ multi-scale perspective, and implies that strengthening the construction of transportation infrastructure may improve the marginal effect of industrial structure transformation and environmental improvement brought about by trade activity.

Research on the Influence of Green Trade Barriers on China's Export and Its Coping Strategies

With the increasing awareness of global protection, green trade barriers have gradually become a factor that cannot be ignored in international trade. This paper aims to discuss the impact of green trade barriers on China's exports, and put forward corresponding countermeasures. The paper first summarizes the definition, development process and main characteristics of green trade barriers, then analyzes their impact on China's export, and finally puts forward countermeasures from the two levels of government and enterprises.

The Impact of U.S. Carbon Tariff on Chinas Exports and Welfare Based on Empirical Analysis and Game Models

This paper will begin by formulating an optimal tariff model between China and the U.S., leading us to an equilibrium point. From this vantage point, we will deduce the consequences of U.S. tariffs on China's exports and the ramifications of U.S. carbon tariffs on China's societal welfare. Next, we will develop an economic model considering the existing China-U.S. tariffs and their trading relationship. This model will help determine the influence of U.S. tariffs on China's export volume and societal welfare. In addition, we will compute the impact of U.S. tariffs on China's societal welfare and export to the U.S., factoring in China's carbon emissions per 100 yuan of GDP, and finally, concern the industrial impact of such carbon tariffs. Third, using two distinct game models, we would probe into the viability and possibility of the U.S. levying a carbon tariff on Chinese exports. The evolutionary game models reflect real-world scenarios, which point out that the U.S. will eventually apply a carbon tariff on China. Next, the dynamic game model considers different parties, Chinas government and firms, and different factors, environmental costs, and green subsidies. The model provides the circumstances in which the U.S. will levy a carbon tariff, whether China should provide a green subsidy, and whether the company should implement green production technology. Finally, we would discuss potential strategies China might adopt to navigate the challenges of the U.S. carbon tariff and examine the broader implications of such a move.

Digital economy development and export upgrading: Theoretical analysis based on Chinese experience

AbstractThe development of the digital economy in China has not only led to a revolution in science and technology and its industry transformation but also affected China's export upgrading. This article uses the provincial‐level panel data of China's export products from 2012 to 2019 to explore the impact and mechanism of digital economy development on export upgrading. The result shows that the development of the digital economy generally promotes the technical complexity of exports, which is more significant in regions with higher resource allocation efficiency. The mediation effect test finds that the development of the technology market and human capital improvement are the two basic paths of the digital economy to promote export upgrading. The conclusion is still valid after a series of robustness tests, such as replacing the explanatory variables and using instrumental variables.

Digital transformation by firms and the cleanliness of China's export products

This study breaks the research chain on “firm digital transformation-trade green transformation”, focusing on the effect and mechanism in firms' digital transformation on the “cleanliness” of export products. It offers theoretical and empirical support on how to respond to demand for a green transformation in trade by firms in the context of their digital transformation. First, we reveal the mechanism in the effect of firms' digital transformation on export product cleanliness at the theoretical level by extending the Stackelberg game model and constructing a variable for product cleanliness. Second, we build an index to evaluate firms' digital transformation by matching data on A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2016 with a China Customs firm database and quantitatively analyze it with a machine learning algorithm. Combined with the measured export product cleanliness index, this mechanism is empirically tested with standardized measurement methods. Overall, we find that firms' digital transformation can significantly contribute to improvement in export product cleanliness. This finding remains robust to a series of tests and decomposition of digital transformation into various dimensions. The mechanism test found that the digital transformation of firms mainly promotes the improvement of export product cleanliness through the channels of increasing digital factor inputs, promoting green technology innovation, improving environmental management performance and achieving economies of scale. Heterogeneity analysis shows that digital transformation better facilitates the promotion of cleaner exported products from firms certified with ISO14001, whose primary export destinations are countries outside of the EU, and with high disclosure quality. Furthermore, digital transformation has a structural effect on the improvement of export product cleanliness in the context of urban disclosure of environmental information.

Analysis of the Impact of Carbon Tariffs on China's Trade

As the impact of the financial crisis deepened, on March 17, 2009, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu prepared to impose carbon tariffs on imported goods to avoid unfair competition in the US manufacturing industry. Meanwhile, in recent years, some developed countries or regions, such as the United States and the European Union, have proposed punitive tariffs on imported products from developing countries such as China and India based on carbon content under the pretext of addressing climate change. This measure has sparked widespread international discussion. Therefore, this article takes carbon tariffs as the research object and analyzes the impact of China's carbon emissions on its export trade and the impact of international emission reduction regulations and measures on China's export trade through qualitative and quantitative analysis methods. The paper is divided into 7 chapters. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 provide explanations on the relevant concepts and development trends of carbon tariffs. Carbon tariffs are essentially border tax regulatory measures with trade protectionism attributes. Chapters 4 and 5 analyze the impact of carbon tariff policies. Chapters 6 and 7 propose corresponding strategies and suggestions based on the previous analysis.

Analysis of the competitiveness and complementarity of China-Vietnam bilateral agricultural commodity trade.

Vietnam's agricultural exports to China have remained strong, with the country maintaining its position as the top destination for Agri-products. This article primarily utilizes the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index, and Trade Complementarity (TC) index to examine the trade comparative advantage, and the complementary of twenty major agricultural products between China and Vietnam from 2012 to 2021. The study results showed that Vietnam and China frequently exchange agricultural products. Vietnam has more stronger competitiveness than China in terms of agricultural products. China's exports to Vietnam were highly complementary to Vietnam's imports in category 0 whiles Vietnam's exports to China showed strong complementarity with China's imports in category 2. This paper analyzes the complementarity and comparative advantages of agricultural trade between China and Vietnam, and proposes informed suggestions for policy-making to promote agricultural trade between the countries. The proposed suggestions aim to expand agricultural trade between the two countries, reduce the trade imbalance, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

Research on the Impact of ESG Performance on Corporate Exports

The development of a green and low-carbon economy has become a crucial topic in global economic advancement. China's export trade faces a complex international landscape characterized by escalating trade frictions, rising trade protectionism, and a sluggish traditional trade environment in the post-pandemic era. This paper primarily explores the relationship between the ESG performance of Chinese A-share listed companies and their export activities. Initially, it conducts a literature analysis on the impact of ESG performance on corporate exports from the perspectives of environment, social responsibility, and corporate governance. This paper conducts empirical analyses using relevant regression models to test the hypotheses. Furthermore, in examining the transmission pathways of the impact of ESG performance on corporate exports, an intermediate variable regression model is established to analyze the specific roles played by corporate innovation as a mediator. In conclusion, the findings are as follows: (1) Overall ESG performance positively influences corporate exports, indicating that better ESG performance is conducive to enhanced export activities. (2) Enterprises with superior ESG performance can promote exports by improving their innovation capabilities.

Exploring the Impact of the Digital Economy on China's Export Implied Carbon Intensity: A Provincial Panel Data Analysis

Exploiting the positive effect of digital economy on reducing the implied carbon intensity of exports is an important path to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of China's export trade. In view of this, using the Chinese provincial panel data from 2008 to 2020 to scrutinize the consequential impact and intricate mechanisms at play between these variables. Employing a robust methodology, including fixed-effects models, mediating-effects models, and threshold models, the analysis delves into the multi-faceted impact of the digital economy on export implied carbon intensity. It is found that (1) The enhancement of the digital economy can significantly reduce the implied carbon intensity of exports. (2) The digital economy further diminishes the implied carbon intensity of exports through the mediating influences of industrial structure and technological progress. (3) The relationship between the digital economy, industrial structure, and technological progress exhibits a noteworthy non-linear dynamic concerning export implied carbon intensity.