Trade Competitiveness Index Research Articles

Analysis of the Competitiveness of Digital Service Trade Between China and RCEP Partner Countries

Abstract: Based on the digital service trade data from China and RCEP partner countries from 2008 to 2022, this study analyzes the current status of digital service trade, including export scale, structure, and policies. It calculates the international market share and trade competitiveness index, and provides an in-depth analysis of the overall competitiveness of digital service trade and the competitiveness levels by industry within RCEP countries. The study finds that while the international competitiveness of digital service trade between China and RCEP partner countries is relatively weak, the development speed is relatively fast. In response, China should increase efforts in digital infrastructure construction with RCEP partners, promote digital technology research and innovation; enhance digital security and privacy protection, and improve relevant laws and policies; reduce barriers to digital service trade, and increase the influence in formulating digital trade rules; strengthen political mutual trust among RCEP countries, and deepen cooperation in digital service trade.

The analysis of vegetable and fruit export competitiveness of the Republic of Srpska

The aim of this research is an analysis of the Republic of Srpska's export competitiveness in vegetables and fruit on international markets. Two main evaluation indices were used, namely the trade competitiveness (TC) index and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index to measure and analyze the international position of vegetables and fruit during 2015 – 2022. Both indicators were calculated based on statistical data on foreign trade in vegetables and fruit between the Republic of Srpska and the world, EU, and CEFTA countries, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Vegetables and fruit participate with 7.17% and 15.41% in the total export of the Republic of Srpska’s agri–food sector. Analysis of the export structure of this sector showed an average share of vegetables and fruit of 12.04% and 9.43% in the EU market, i.e., 1.63% and 9.65% in the CEFTA market. The results indicate strong export competitiveness of the Republic of Srpska in vegetables concerning the world and EU markets, but weak export competitiveness in relation with the CEFTA countries. The Republic of Srpska recorded strong export competitiveness in fruit on the world and CEFTA market, while poor export competitiveness in the EU market. Within these two product groups on the world market, cucumbers, apples, pears, and plums achieved strong export competitiveness. Cucumbers and plums were two leading products regarding strong export competitiveness On the EU market, while apples and pears were on the CEFTA market. Considering the favourable agroecological conditions for the production of vegetables and fruit, the Republic of Srpska should continue to promote production and foreign trade in these traditional products and improve their competitiveness on international markets.

Determinants of Fisheries Trade Competitiveness: The Case of Malaysia

Fisheries constitute one of the most globalised food industries and significantly contribute to a nation’s socioeconomic development and international food security. Malaysia is a small open economy endowed with fisheries resources; however, the rapid growth of international trade has changed the patterns of fish trade dependence. It has now become a fish importer and experienced a critical fish trade deficit since 2009, implicating eroding trade competitiveness of Malaysian fisheries in the global market. The existing empirical studies on competitiveness conclude that Malaysia loses the competitive status in the international fish market, but the Trade Competitiveness Index (TCI) and its determinants have not been thoroughly explored. Hence, this present study aims to examine the short and long run effects of trade openness, the exchange rate and fishery employment on the TCI of Malaysian fisheries during 1976– 2018, using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach. The findings conclude that Malaysia has lost its trade competitiveness in terms of TCI in the global fishery market. The ARDL results show that an appreciation of the exchange rate as well as more trade openness and fishery employment enhance the TCI in the short run (i.e., a few years), but have negative effects in the long run. To ameliorate trade competitiveness, higher restrictions on fish imports are recommended, as well as more adoption of science and technology in fisheries in the long run, given the nature of the exchange rate, appreciation policies are proposed in the short run.

Competitive Textile Exports: A Comparative Study of Pakistan and China in the United States of America Market

The clothing and textile industry is crucial to Pakistan's economy, significantly contributing to GDP and employment. Pakistan, with its strong expertise in cotton manufacturing, faces intense competition from China in the lucrative United States market. This study aims to evaluate Pakistan's textile and clothing exports to the United States and analyze its competitive advantages against China. Utilizing two analytical techniques, the Trade Competitiveness Index and Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), this research assesses Pakistan's positioning in the US market relative to China. Secondary data from authoritative sources such as WITS and UN Comtrade, along with scholarly articles, serve as the basis for the analysis. The study focuses on three key textile divisions (SITC 26, SITC 65, and SITC 84) and examines their impact on US imports. Key findings indicate that while Pakistan has demonstrated growth in textile exports, particularly in textile fabrics (SITC 26) and clothing (SITC 84), it still lags behind China in overall export volume and market share. The RCA analysis reveals that Pakistan possesses a comparative advantage in specific textile categories, though China's market dominance remains unchallenged. The research identifies several challenges for Pakistan, including inefficient resource use, energy supply issues, high production costs, and outdated equipment. However, opportunities for improvement lie in enhancing quality standards, compliance with international trade requirements, and strategic policy enhancements. The study provides actionable recommendations to strengthen Pakistan’s competitiveness, such as modernizing production equipment, optimizing resource use, and exploring new markets. The findings of this study are crucial for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and businesses aiming to strengthen Pakistan's textile exports and navigate the highly competitive global textile landscape.

Industrial Competitiveness of Photovoltaic Manufacturing Industry: China and the United States

The photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing industry in China and the United States plays and will continue to play crucial roles in the worlds solar energy development. For example, China has become the world's largest PV supplier, and the U.S. is the second largest one. However, this industry in both countries is facing challenges: China faces the threat of overcapacity, while the U.S. grapples with dependence on imports. These challenges are vital for policy-makers to consider making new or modifying current policies to address. Recognizing the connections between threats and policies, this paper highlights these two factors based on SWOT analysis and evaluates the competitiveness of PV manufacturing in China and the U.S. based on International market share (IMS), Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA), and Trade Competitiveness Index (TCI). The key finding of this paper is that despite its overcapacity threat, China still maintains its first position in this industry; while the U.S. has strong potential, its development just started. The outlook of this industry based on competitiveness and technology innovation of both countries will also be included in this paper.

A Study on the Competitiveness and Influencing Factors of the Digital Service Trade

In today’s digital era, the rapidly escalating digital service industry plays a crucial role in the country’s economic development. However, compared to the countries that are a part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the competitiveness level of China’s digital service trade still needs to be improved. This paper aims to know the differences in the competitiveness of the digital service trade between China and CPTPP countries and explore the factors affecting competitiveness in both exports and imports to improve China’s competitiveness level and narrow the gap with CPTPP, thereby promoting its accession process. This paper first uses China and CPTPP countries’ 2010–2022 import and export volume of digital service data to calculate each country’s revealed comparative advantage index, trade competitiveness index, market share, and Michaely fluctuation index indicators, further comparing the comprehensive level of competitiveness between countries. Then, based on the diamond theory, multiple regression analyses will be conducted based on the factors influencing digital service trade competitiveness and using the indicator data of influencing factors in each country for 2010–2021. The conclusions show that China’s digital service trade competitiveness ranked relatively high among CPTPP countries. The competitiveness of imports and exports of the digital service trade is influenced positively by several factors, including the degree of trade freedom, government efficiency, the number of fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, and the industry’s openness. The value of exports of trade in goods has a positive effect on export competitiveness, the enrolment rate in tertiary education has a positive effect on import competitiveness, and the ratio of employed in the service sector to the total employed has a dual effect, facilitating export competitiveness and inhibiting import competitiveness.

Analysis of Trade Competitiveness of the World s Leading Textiles Exporters by Hybrid MCDM Methods

Purpose –This paper demonstrates the application of the IDOCRIW-based MABAC and MAIRCA methods in the evaluation of the trade competitiveness of the top fifteen textiles exporters in the world. Design/methodology/approach –The trade competitiveness index was used for assessing the trade competitiveness of exporters in the textile industry. The IDOCRIW method was used to obtain the weight of criteria. The analysis of the trade competitiveness of exporters was carried out using the new multi-criteria methods, namely the MABAC (Multi-Attributive Border Approximation area Comparison) and the MAIRCA (Multi-Atributive Ideal-Real Comparative Analysis). Findings –According to the results obtained by the IDOCRIW method, share in the world market (SWM) and net exports (NEX) were determined as the most and least important criteria with weight values of 0,3297 and 0,0816, respectively. After determining the criteria weight, the alternatives were ranked using the MABAC and MAIRCA methods. The results for both methods indicate that China, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Spain have the highest trade competitiveness, while Croatia, Ireland, the Republic of Cyprus, Malta, and Mexico have the lowest trade competitiveness in the textile industry. The findings demonstrated that MABAC and MAIRCA provided consistent solutions for ranking the alternatives. Additionally, the consistency and robustness of the results were tested using two different scenarios. The overall results revealed that China and Italy have the best trade competitiveness in the textile industry. Discussion –As expected, China and the European Unioun (EU) countries have the highest trade competitiveness in the world’s textile industry. It can also be stated the textile industry is strategic sector for both the EU countries and China.

Competition in the international cherry market: A competitiveness analysis of the developing country

This research assesses the competitiveness of Chilean cherry exports, with a specific focus on the Chinese market, identifying sectoral challenges and opportunities. Implementing quantitative, descriptive and non-experimental methodologies based on previous studies (Montes Ninaquispe et al., 2023), it utilizes the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for market diversification, the Trade Competitiveness Index (TC), and the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA) based on previous studies (Arbulú Ballesteros et al., 2024). The analysis reveals a significant concentration of exports to China, representing over 88 percent of Chile’s total cherry exports from 2018 to 2022, despite market volatility and a general trend of growth in both volume and value. The HHI indicates a high concentration risk due to dependency on the Chinese market, while the TC and RCA highlight a strong competitive and comparative advantage in this sector. The study concludes the need for market diversification to reduce dependency risks, suggesting the exploration of new markets like Thailand, South Korea, and Ecuador, alongside improvements in marketing strategies. Additionally, it recommends enhancing corporate innovation and operational efficiency via advanced production technologies and optimizing logistics and supply chain management to sustain the competitive advantage of Chilean cherry exports.

中国金融服务贸易竞争力之影响因素分析

Against the backdrop of economic globalization and trade liberalization, financial services, as an emerging sector, have gradually become a focal point of attention for countries around the world. The development of financial services trade has accelerated the flow of capital between nations and effectively promoted global trade as well as the development of non-trade industries. This article, based on the background of the RCEP coming into effect, conducts a comparative analysis of the financial services trade competitiveness between China and RCEP member countries, and empirically studies the factors influencing China’s financial services trade competitiveness based on Porter’s Diamond Model.
 This study first starts with the current status of financial services trade among RCEP member countries, comparing the competitiveness of China’s financial services trade with other RCEP member countries using three commonly used indicators for evaluating international trade competitiveness: market share (MS), trade competitiveness index (TC), and revealed comparative advantage index (RCA). Subsequently, based on Porter’s competitive advantage theory, an evaluation system is constructed from six aspects: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, government, enterprise organization strategy and competition, and opportunities. The regression model is constructed using data from 2006 to 2021 combined with the principal component analysis method to empirically analyze the factors influencing China’s financial services trade competitiveness. The analysis results show that China’s financial services trade international competitiveness is relatively weak among RCEP member countries, but it has shown a strong growth trend in recent years. The impact of fiscal policy on the competitiveness of financial services trade is the largest, followed by technological and related industry factors, while human capital has the smallest contribution to the competitiveness of financial services trade.
 Based on the research results, in the future, China should strengthen the cultivation of talents in the financial services industry, promote consumer spending in the financial services sector, increase the capital and technological content of related financial industries, expand the scale of foreign capital utilization in the financial services industry, and improve the financial regulatory system to enhance China’s international competitiveness in financial services trade.

Research on the Barriers and Legal Countermeasures of Exporting Traditional Chinese Medicine to ASEAN Countries under the Background of the Belt and Road Initiative

The total amount of China's exports of Chinese medicinal materials to the world and the trade competitiveness index gradually declined, but the exports of Chinese medicinal materials along the "the Belt and Road" increased significantly. The main problems faced by China's export trade of traditional Chinese medicine include the lack of quality standard system, the establishment of technical barriers to trade in importing countries, and the insufficient development of the export market of traditional Chinese medicine. The "the Belt and Road" initiative has brought opportunities to the international development of Chinese medicine, and has provided a broad market space for the development of Chinese medicine industry. The "the Belt and Road" strategy and the expansion of demand for traditional Chinese medicine in the international market have brought good development opportunities for the export trade of traditional Chinese medicine. However, cultural differences at home and abroad, international trade barriers and competition in the same industry have also brought threats and challenges to the export trade of traditional Chinese medicine in Gansu.

Analysis of international competitiveness of the China's licorice industry from the perspective of global trade

Ethnopharmacological relevanceLicorice is a multi-purpose plant raw material, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and food industry, cosmetic industry, etc. It has a wide application in various countries and regions around the world. Aim of studyThis paper studied the trade situation of licorice-related products among major countries and regions in the world, providing a practical reference for the sustainable development of the global licorice industry. Materials and methodsThe licorice trade data of licorice-related products came from the United Nations Commodity Trade Database and China Customs data. We analyzed the world's major trading countries by using international market share (IMS), trade competitiveness index (TC), average export price (AEP) and average import price (AIP), and analyzed global trade flows with chord diameter. ResultsUzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Iran mainly export licorice raw materials and low value-added products. China is both a producer and a consumer of licorice raw materials and licorice products. The processing trade of the licorice industry in China has advantages, and the structure of import and export trade has been continuously improved. The United States, France, Germany and other developed countries are still important consumers who rely on the intellectual property rights and brand advantages of licorice products, which have stronger global trade radiation capacity. ConclusionsChina's trade structure has been optimized and its industrial competitiveness has been enhanced. China's experience can be used for reference by other countries, especially those with rich licorice resources among the SCO members.

Research on International Competitiveness of Creative Industry in the City Cluster of Yangtze River Delta in the Digital Era

Creativity, innovation, creation and entrepreneurship have become the core driving force of China's economic development and urban transformation in the new era. To promote the sustainable development of the Yangtze River Delta with higher quality, it is necessary to build a community of regional interests, give play to the advantages of regional industries, and form a world-class city cluster with global competitiveness on the basis of grasping the mission, target positioning and strategic path of the Time, with reliance on the region and the whole country, looking around the world and facing the future. This paper analyzed the creative industry development in the 25 major cities of the Yangtze river delta through three indicators, including the international market share index (IMS), trade competitiveness index (TC) and revealed comparative advantage index (RCA). From the two perspectives of creative goods and services, it compared the international competitiveness of creative industry between China and some major countries in the world. Finally, in the background of the digital era, countermeasures were proposed from the perspectives of cross-border integration and symbiotic development of digital economy, digital technology and creative industry, the spatial collaboration and symbiotic development of creative industry of the city cluster in Yangtze River Delta, talent training and intellectual property protection.

Potential of Kazakhstan’s grain export trade

ABSTRACT: Kazakhstan is located in the hinterland of Central Asia. Its virtuous geographical advantages and huge grain production potential make it one of the most important grain exporters in the world. The research on the problem of the grain trade in Kazakhstan is of great significance for food security. This study measured its international competitiveness using the International Market Share Index, the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index, Trade competitiveness index and calculated the international competitiveness and analyzed the influencing factors of grain export by constructing an extended gravity model and measured its export potential. Results showed that Kazakhstan has a low share of the international grain market; however, wheat, barley, and buckwheat have strong export advantages; the level of economic development and economic distance has significantly promoted the scale of grain exports. While geographical distance, the difference in GDP per capita, and the fact whether trading partner countries have joined the Eurasian Economic Union have caused obstacles to grain exports. Kazakhstan’s export potential to 6 countries including Russia, Kyrgyzstan and China shows an upward” trend, its export potential to 6 countries including Tajikistan and Ukraine showing a “stable” trend, and its export to 9 countries included Poland and Germany. The potential showed a “declining” trend.

The competitiveness of China's seaweed products in the international market from 2002 to 2017

China is the most productive seaweed farming country in the world and her seaweed imports and exports have a significant impact on global seaweed trade commodities and food security. Nevertheless, few studies had delved into the main characteristics and development of China's seaweed farming industry. This paper aims to narrow this research gap by analyzing trade patterns in China's seaweed products and the international competitiveness of seaweed product by using the international market share index (IMS), the trade competitiveness index (TC), and revealed comparative advantage index (RCA) from 2002 to 2017. The results showed that Japan, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Chile, Peru, and the Republic of Korea are China's main trade partners, the total trade value of China's seaweed products has grown rapidly, its imports have gradually exceeded exports, the trade deficit continues to expand, and its competitiveness keeps decreasing. The reasons for this trend may include the changing seaweed trade commodity structure, product differentiation, increased government support in competing countries, and trade barriers among the trade partners. We propose actively expanding international trade markets, establishing a strong seaweed product processing industry to develop high value-added seaweed products, optimizing the trade commodity structure, and differentiating of seaweed products to improve the competitiveness of China's seaweed products.

Export competitiveness of agricultural products and agricultural sustainability in China

The competitiveness of a country’s agricultural products is not only related to its capacity to export agricultural products, but also to the sustainability of its agricultural sector. How to improve the international competitiveness of a country’s agricultural products while maintaining the sustainability of its agricultural sector is a practical problem of great urgency for a country with a large agricultural sector such as China. With this in mind, this study should have a considerable policy and practical significance. We used two evaluation indices, namely trade competitiveness (TC) index and revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index, to measure and analyze the international competitiveness of six China’s representative agricultural products, i.e., live pigs, live chickens, live cattle, apples, tea, and beer, and to examine the changing trends of these products’ competitiveness during 1994–2013. The results indicate that the export competitiveness of China’s agricultural products is weak and likely to deteriorate further. However, some traditional agricultural products with distinctive regional characteristics, for example, tea and live pigs, are relatively strong internationally. To this end, China should vigorously promote the production and foreign trade in traditional agricultural products with distinctive regional characteristics. At the same time, comprehensive measures should be taken to enhance the international competitiveness of disadvantaged agricultural products.

Trade Competitive Affair of Garment Products between Bangladesh and China: A Comparative Study

China and Bangladesh both are large garment producing countries and the garment industry occupies a strong and important position in their national economies. Bangladesh is not only a participating country in China's promotion of the “Belt and Road” initiative, but also an important country in the establishment of the China-India-Bangladesh-Myanmar Economic Corridor. This article makes a comparative analysis of the reasons for the gap in the competitiveness of the bilateral trade of garment products between the two countries and provides some realistic suggestions for the development of the garments product trade between the two countries. This paper has mainly used secondary information particularly the Chinese and Bangladeshi garment trade data derived from the United Nations Trade Database for the period of 2007-2018. For analyzing purpose, this paper has utilized “Harmonize commodity name and coding system” Classification standard (HCNCS), Measure market share (MS), Trade competitiveness index (TCI) and Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index. The analysis shows that in terms of export market distribution, mostly the developed countries such as the European countries and United States are the main exporting countries of the Bangladeshi and Chinese garment products. The results further reveled that there is a certain gap in the scale of trade between Bangladesh and China in the garment industry, but the industrial trade structure is convergent. Finally, the authors identified that there is a fierce competition in the export of China-Bangladesh garments products in the international market. Policy recommendations have been suggested in order to improve the trade of garment products between Chin and Bangladesh.

Analysis on Export Competitiveness of Chinese Chemical Products

First of all, this paper summarizes the research progress of international Chemicals which are a kind of products that cannot be ignored in people’s life and production. Under the call of national policy of fine chemical and green chemical industry, in recent years, China’s chemical products output ranks the top in the world, and the export trade grows rapidly, but the export of domestic chemical products keeps a deficit in foreign trade. In the face of complex and changeable international competition and foreign trade situation, it is helpful for the sustainable and healthy development and progress of domestic economy to comprehensively analyze and elaborate the structure, competitiveness and related influencing factors of China’s chemical export. This paper analyzes the research and development of international competitiveness and constructs the research framework and main research methods of this paper. Based on the research results of international competitiveness at home and abroad, the evaluation system of export competitiveness of Chinese chemicals is constructed. Secondly, this paper analyzes the export status of domestic chemicals and related manufactured products from the main body of chemical exports, chemical exports and chemical export regions. This paper analyzes the international competitiveness level of chemical products in China by using the international market share, dominant comparative advantage index and trade competitiveness index. The results show that at present, China’s chemical products are still very lack of international competitiveness. In order to further analyze the factors that affect the competitiveness of chemical manufacturing industry, based on Porter diamond model and previous research results, this paper establishes a multiple regression model, and analyzes the impact of four indicators of capital, scientific research and innovation level, industrial concentration and scale economy on the international competitiveness of chemical manufacturing industry. Finally, based on the results of empirical analysis, this paper puts forward suggestions to improve the export competitiveness of domestic chemicals and related manufactured goods.

Research on the Export Competitiveness of Agricultural Products in Anhui Province of China from the Low-Carbon Perspective

Affected by global warming, the development of low-carbon economy in recent years has received widespread attention. In terms of trade, it is mainly manifested in carbon taxation and carbon labeling. The development of low-carbon economy will inevitably have an impact on the export of agricultural products. Taking Anhui Province, a large agricultural province in China, as an example, this paper analyzed the export competitiveness of agricultural products in Anhui by using the trade competitiveness index. The study found that agricultural export companies in Anhui had problems such as single export structure and low added value, vicious competition among export companies, and imperfect financial support systems. In order to enhance the competitiveness of agricultural exports in Anhui, the paper put forward countermeasures and suggestions in the end, such as optimizing the export structure, increasing investment in science and technology, establishing an alliance of agricultural export enterprises and increasing financial support.

Evaluating the International Competitiveness of Vietnam Wood Processing Industry by Combining the Variation Coefficient and the Entropy Method

Indicators measuring industrial international competitiveness are being continuously improved. However, so far, there is no unified perfect indicator to measure the level of international competitiveness of the industry. Based on the market share index (MS), trade competitiveness index (TC), revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), and relative trade advantage index (RTA), we constructed a comprehensive international competitiveness index by combining the variation coefficient and the entropy method. This study aims to compare and evaluate the international competitiveness of the wood processing industry (ICWPI) in Vietnam using a comprehensive international competitiveness index. The data is collected from the top 22 countries and the total import and export volume of the wood processing industry from the repository of official international trade statistics (UN Comtrade) database for 2001–2017. The results found that it is more accurate to use the combined variation coefficient and the entropy method to evaluate the international competitiveness of the wood processing industry, compared to using only a single index. The growth rate of international competitiveness of Vietnam increased rapidly from 2001 to 2007 but slowed from 2008 to 2017. Vietnam has the advantages of natural resources, low labor costs and favorable geographical location. However, the low productivity gains and added industry value have led to a gradual decline in the international competitiveness growth rate of Vietnam’s wood processing industry.

China and South Asia Logistics Industry Development Based on Marine Water Conservation

Liu, L., 2019. China and South Asia logistics industry development based on marine water conservation. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 1066–1072. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The term “One Belt and One Road”, firstly initiated by the Chinese Government, has brought new opportunities for the effect of China on South Asian countries in the economic and trade cooperation. From 2005 to 2016, the scale of goods trade between South Asian countries and China increased significantly, and South Asia gradually became an important trading partner of China. The structure of China's export products to South Asian countries has not changed much and most of which are technology and capital-intensive processed products. However, the elements of China's import products has changed a lot under marine water conservation and tends to be diversified and rationalized. This paper analyzes the complementarity and competitiveness of trade between China and South Asian countries by applying existing indicators, e.g., revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), trade integration index (TII), trade complementarity index (TCI), export similarity index (ESI) and trade competitiveness index (CI).The results show that China's trade with South Asian countries is more complementary than competitive, and there is great potential for international logistics between China and South Asian countries. According to the situation of marine water conservation, we should make use of trade complementarity to improve the structure of foreign trade, strengthen trade negotiations and advance the development of free trade zones, as well as strengthen infrastructure construction and promote connectivity, in order to increase international trade value and promote logistics industry in China and South Asian countries.