The World Trade Organization (WTO) issued the "Aid for Trade" initiative at the Sixth Ministerial Conference held in December 2005, aimed at raising the international community’s awareness of trade for development and calling on developed members to provide funds to help developing countries Improve trade capacity and economic development level so that it can benefit from economic globalization. As a beneficiary of economic globalization and an important member of the WTO, China actively responds to the WTO’s "Aid for Trade" initiative and helps developing countries, especially the least developed countries, through a series of assistance measures such as strengthening infrastructure construction and providing trade materials and equipment. The country enhances its trade development capabilities.
The global pandemic of the new crown pneumonia epidemic has brought a catastrophic impact on world economic development, and the negative impact on the least developed countries is undoubtedly even greater. At the same time, the epidemic has also led to the upsurge of anti-globalization, and the ability and willingness of developed economies to provide development element support to developing countries have declined. In the context of insufficient development assistance, the role of assistance in promoting trade has become more prominent. The hosting of the China International Import Expo is an innovative "Aid for Trade" initiative taken by China as a global trading nation to actively share its vast market space with countries around the world, especially the developing countries. It is China's solemn commitment to lead the world economy out of the quagmire.
Relying on the CIIE, expand imports to developing countries. In order to effectively promote exports from developing countries to China, China implemented zero tariffs for the first time in 2005 on 190 commodities from 25 least developed countries in Africa, and has since continued to expand the benefits of zero tariff treatment. Since 2006, China has expanded the scope of beneficiary products to 478 tax items. In November 2009, Chinese leaders announced at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that they would gradually grant tariff-free treatment to 95% of the products of African least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. In November 2011, Chinese leaders announced at the G20 summit in Cannes that they would give zero-tariff treatment to 97% of the products of the least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. At the subsequent 2012 Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China promised to further open its market to African countries and decided to gradually grant 97% of tax items to African least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China under the framework of South-South cooperation. Zero-tariff treatment of products, establish a zero-tariff origin consultation mechanism and improve the zero-tariff implementation cooperation mechanism. By the end of 2012, nearly 5,000 tax items exported by least developed countries to China will enjoy zero-tariff treatment. Driven by a series of zero-tariff measures, China has been the largest export market for the least developed countries since 2008. The holding of the China International Import Expo provides the least developed countries with an opportunity to communicate directly with Chinese buyers, which directly amplifies the spillover effect of imports.
Take the CIIE as an opportunity to promote the docking of import inspection standards. At the request of Slovakia in 2003, China provided it with a container inspection system, which is a high-tech product developed by China with independent intellectual property rights. Since then, in order to effectively improve the speed and efficiency of customs clearance of goods, promote trade facilitation, promote the development of the transportation industry and international trade, combat smuggling and drug trafficking, and maintain national security, China has sent orders to Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt, Cuba, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Tanzania, Zambia, Peru, Yemen, Armenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Mongolia, Chad, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Guyana, Mauritania, Moldova, Montenegro, Uruguay, Rwanda, Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, Bolivia, Kenya, Tunisia and other countries have assisted container inspection equipment, which has effectively improved the customs clearance capabilities and trade facilitation levels of these countries. However, it should also be noted that we still lack standard connection in developing countries’ exports to China, which to a certain extent restricts the release of developing countries’ export potential to China. The CIIE just provides an opportunity to "link" supply and demand. We can base on the resource endowments of developing countries, transfer the middle-end links of the industrial chain, and promote these countries to produce, process, assemble, and assemble in accordance with Chinese standards. Implement the "green channel" for rapid customs clearance of products that meet the standards, so as to effectively promote their integration into the global value chain and achieve independent development.
Use CIIE as a platform to enhance trade-related development capabilities. In order to fulfill its WTO commitments, China invested 400,000 U.S. dollars per year from 2011 to 2014, and 500,000 U.S. dollars per year from 2015 to establish a "China Project" in the WTO to support least developed countries in developing internship programs and participating in WTO Meetings and conducting North-South dialogues to enhance the trade negotiation capabilities of developing countries. At the same time, China has also strengthened the trade capacity building of developing countries through foreign aid training. The training topics cover the improvement of international logistics and multimodal transport services, railway interconnection cooperation, international production capacity cooperation, power infrastructure interconnection cooperation, and the Silk Road Economic Belt. Integrating governance capabilities with the Eurasian Economic Union, equipment manufacturing standardization cooperation, trade and sustainable development, cross-border e-commerce policies, agricultural product circulation and trade, entry-exit animal and plant inspection and quarantine, import and export food safety, trade facilitation, etc., have effectively strengthened Economic and trade policy communication between China and developing countries. The current epidemic prevention and control is becoming normal. China is actively inviting developing countries to participate in the CIIE, which not only exempts the participation fees of the least developed countries, but also uses online services such as "cloud investment promotion", "cloud shopping exhibition", and "cloud signing". The integration of the method and offline exhibitions allows the vast number of developing countries to effectively share the development dividends of digital trade, thereby stimulating their motivation to actively integrate into the digital economy.
With the development of economic globalization to this day, trade is undoubtedly the most effective way to improve resource allocation and an important engine to promote development. Trade assistance is to solve the problems of developing countries and developing countries through “visible, unconditional, coordinated and predictable” financial support. Trade-related issues. The holding of the CIIE is an important measure for China to innovate its foreign aid implementation methods, strengthen its assistance in promoting trade, and raise the level of independent development of recipient countries. Significance.
(The author is Song Wei, a researcher at the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, and executive deputy director of the Hongqiao International Economic Forum Research Center)
Source: International Business Daily
