Research On China’s Foreign Trade Frictions

China’s foreign trade has been booming since the reform and opening-up. China becamethe world’s largest exporter and second largest trading country in2010, its export volume ofgoods trade is1577.93billion U.S. dollars, economic gross volume is a little less than theUnited States, and its foreign trade contributes to40%-50%of China’s economic growth. Atthe same time, China’s foreign trade has encountered more trade frictions, since China hasgradually become a trading power and economic power, as well as international trade intereststructure, interest relationship changes. In2010, China’s goods trade volume accounted forabout9.9%of global trade; however there are20.9%of anti-dumping investigations and16.9%of the countervailing investigation against China’s export products around the world.China’s trade friction increased in number, at the same time it appeared many newcharacteristics and trends of development. Trade friction has already expanded to a singleindustry controversy from the pure single product dispute between enterprises; it also goes tothe macroscopical system, political system and national interests level from simple tradeproblem. Trade friction exacerbation not only restricts the development of China’s exports,destroys the fair trade environment directly, but also influences China’s economic security andpolitical security, and becomes a problem that not allows to ignore during China’s foreigntrade and economic development. In recent years, from China’s trade friction cases it’s foundthat anti-dumping and other traditional trade relief measures are still the main forms of tradefriction. But new trade frictions on China’s export commodities such as technical barriers totrade and the protection of intellectual property rights etc. have more important effect. TheUnited States, the EU and other developed countries on China’s trade disputes began to focusmore on subtle levels such as the protection of intellectual property rights, balance of trade,RMB exchange rate, government subsidies and foreign investment environment, etc., whileIndia, Argentina, Turkey and other developing countries launched trade friction towards Chinawith the traditional trade relief measures more and more frequently. Since the second half of2008, the global economic recession caused by the United States sub-loan crisis, resulted inworldwide trade protectionism. In the face of the international financial crisis, countries haveintroduced kinds of trade protection measures, in order to ensure their best interests. China isthe world’s largest exporter, for this reason it also becomes the key object that trade protectioncounters in current world. For instance, in2009the number of trade remedy investigations toChina was128, it was the highest level in history that China suffered. Although in2010traderemedy investigations that China suffered declined, China is still the main country thatnational trade remedy investigations focus on. Therefore, how to correctly understand anddeal with the international trade friction, improve the external environment of China’s exporttrade will be important problems that China’s foreign trade needs to study and solve for a longperiod in future.Under the background of economic globalization, there are many new characteristics anddevelopment trends of international trade friction. This thesis researches on China’s foreigntrade friction comprehensively, in-depth and systematically from the structural perspective with the structure of China’s foreign trade friction as the research object. The thesis containsthe study of current situation, causes, evolution and development trend of China’s tradefriction in the country and region structure, industry and product structure and mode structure,targeted and practical countermeasures towards the structural issues. The main contents of thisthesis are as follows:The introduction, mainly elaborates the research background, the research goal and thesignificance, contents and methods, also gives a brief account of the main innovation pointsand deficiencies of this paper.Chapter one, the theoretical origins and research review of trade friction. Arrangedetailedly international trade friction theory from a historical perspective, define the tradefriction and scope of this study; explore the trade friction theory source from the developmentof international trade theory history, and then make a brief summary and evaluation to thestudy of domestic and foreign trade friction theory.Chapter two, analysis on status and cause of China’s foreign trade friction. Treatingreform and opening-up as a starting point, give a historical review to trade friction suffered byChina from trade friction number, change trend, characteristics etc. Analyze the main reasonsthat China suffered trade friction frequently and future development trend, show therationality and necessity of trade friction suffered by China combined with China’s foreigntrade development and international economic interest structure changes.Chapter three, China’s foreign trade friction market and region structure. From a view ofstructure, compare the trade friction status and characteristics of China, developed countriesand developing countries. And select United States, European Union, Japan, India, Argentinaetc as representatives of the developed and developing countries, analyze the characteristics oftrade friction between China and these countries and areas.Chapter four, China’s foreign trade friction industry and product structure. WithChina’s domestic industrial structure and export industry and product structure characteristics,analyze the whole industry characteristics of China’s foreign trade friction. From the angle oftrade remedy and technical barriers to trade and other trade friction, analyze thecharacteristics and trends of China’s specific industry and product trade friction.Chapter five, China’s foreign trade friction mode structure. In response to anti-dumping,countervailing, safeguards and other trade remedy measures; and technical barriers to trade,intellectual property protection and other emerging ways of trade friction, analyze a variety ofthe specific characteristics and causes of trade friction, influences on China foreign trade anddevelopment trend.Chapter six, China’s strategies and countermeasures towards trade friction.Combinedwith the future development direction of Chinese foreign trade and current status of China’strade friction, propose specific strategies and countermeasures according to the differentstructures of the trade friction.