Study On Green Trade Barriers To Liaoning Province Agricultural Product Exportation

In the process of economic integration and trade liberalization, and with the gradually decreasing role of tariff and non-tariff barriers, Green Trade Barriers characterized by environmental, human and animal healthy protection measures have become one of the main forms of current trade barriers. Undoubtedly, this new form of trade protectionism named Green Trade Barriers has brought new obstacles to international trade under the trend of trade liberalization. And due to its legitimate form and wide content,the Green Trade Barriers become more and more complex, which made developing countries encounter new challenges and difficulties when they develop their foreign trades. Joining the WTO since 2001, China's agricultural products export enterprises have been restricted not only by tariffs, quotas and other restrictions, but also by the so-called "green demands", which lead to difficult market access. As a large agricultural country, Chinese agricultural products play a significant part in its exportation. Chinese agricultural exports play an important role in increasing rural employment and income, optimizing agriculture structure, enhancing the level of related domestic industries and solving the "three rural" problems.However, in the process of internationalization, Chinese agricultural products exportation is facing increasingly serious challenges. Along with the increase of import pressure, while export is meeting greater obstacles. At present, Green Trade Barriers have become a main obstacle to Chinese agricultural exportation, limited products from aquatic products, livestock and other animal products to fruits, vegetables and other plant products. United States, Japan and European Union are major export markets of Chinese agricultural products, however, they set strict Green Trade Barriers to our country. Green Trade Barriers enhance the technical threshold of agricultural products exportation, weaken the advantage of Chinese labor-intensive agricultural products in world market, and increase the cost of agricultural production because of increased testing programs and prolonged testing time. Liaoning province is a major agricultural production base and important export province of agricultural products, so economic development in Liaoning province is affected seriously by Green Trade Barriers. Therefore, it is a realistic and urgent subject to study and explore how to strengthen international competitiveness of agricultural products, expand export scale, optimize export structure, step over Green Trade Barriers and achieve sustainable development of economic, social and ecological.This thesis that analyzes the countermeasures of coping with Green Trade Barriers in Liaoning Province is divided into four parts. First of all, this thesis introduce the basic content of Green Trade Barriers, including concept of Green Trade Barrier, major characteristics and forms. Followed by a full interpretation of the theoretical basis of Green Trade Barriers. The priority-development-environment theory, sustainable development theory and external theory lay a solid foundation for the emergence and development of Green Trade Barriers. Through the analysis of economic effects of Green Trade Barriers, which lay a theoretical foundation for later research. Then, from the agricultural exports scale, product structure, market structure and origin features, the author makes a brief of the general situation of Liaoning agricultural product exportation, and analyzes the reason for being restricted by Green Trade Barriers from the perspective of external and internal with a conclusion of internal factors accounting for a larger proportion. Finally taking the example of Liaoning agricultural products with comparative advantage,such as aquatic products, livestock products, fruit and vegetable, the author analyzes the influence of Green Trade Barriers on these four categories based on a large number of relevant data and information.The last is also one of the most important chapters, based on the above studies, the main suggestions are provided from the level of government, industry associations and enterprises:firstly, government should establish and improve agricultural products quality and safety management system, actively develop ecological agriculture and exportation production bases; Secondly, industry associations should enhance self-construction, establish early warning mechanisms and improve the technical standards; Thirdly, enterprises should actively tap green marketing, apply for relevant international certification, implement the "going out" strategy and foster diversification of export market so as to improve the international competitiveness of agricultural products and step over Green Trade Barriers.