特别贸易关注视角下技术性贸易措施对我国出口贸易的影响

Effects of Technical Barriers to Trade on China's Export:Evidences from Specific Trade Concerns

为厘清具有贸易限制性的技术性贸易措施对国际贸易的作用机制,本文基于特别贸易关注的视角,利用2002—2016年我国对WTO成员的出口贸易数据实证研究了限制性的技术性贸易措施对我国出口贸易的影响。研究发现,限制性的技术性贸易措施对出口贸易额与贸易量都有着显著的负面效应;并且,如果一项特别贸易关注被WTO/TBT委员会多次讨论、我国为关注的唯一提出方、我国在提出时明确了特别贸易关注议题类型,那么这种负面影响会由于各国间的积极磋商、措施的波及范围较小以及议题的针对性而得到削弱;但具体到农产品贸易领域而言,这种负面影响则会因为农产品较高的符合成本而加剧。

To precisely quantify the effects of restrictive Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) on international trade, this paper investigated the impacts of Specific Trade Concerns ( STC) raised by China in the TBT committees of the WTO on exports at the 6-digit HS product level during 2002-2016 with a gravity approach. By matching database of TBT measures raised as concerns at the WTO with product level trade data from WITS, it shows the complex effects of restrictive TBT measures on the intensive margin of trade at the product level. TBTs overall appear to be trade-impeding, we find that strong and negative effects of TBT on both export value and volume. However, these negative effects are reduced if an STC has been discussed multiple times at the TBT committees meeting, if China is the only country raising concerns, and if types of concerns are clearly defined. The impacts of TBTs China facing are also differentiated across exporting sectors. Trade-impeding effects of TBTs are much larger for agricultural products, due to higher costs of standards compliance.