Chinese goods biggest victim of trade protectionism – Expert

11 Nov '09

2 min read

Director and researcher of Foreign Economic Research Institute from China's National Development and Reform Commission Mr. Zhang Yansheng recently pointed out that there are four factors leading China to become the world's biggest victim of trade protectionism which include international as well as domestic factors.

First, the proportion of China's cases among worldwide cases that have attracted world trade protectionism is much higher than China's share of total global exports.

Second, China and Germany account for the highest amount of exports in the world, but 53 percent of Germany's trade is with the countries of the European Union, due to which trade frictions are less than those faced by China.

Exports from China are spread out across the whole world, with the developed countries and regions like US, EU and Japan accounting for a bulk of the exports, which has led to an increased level of trade frictions with different regions and countries.

Third, studies have found that goods exported from Germany are mainly intermediate products like parts and components which are used to produce the final products and which does not have any consumer interaction.

While, most of the exports emanating from China are middle and low end products which directly face the consumer and local producers faced with competition on their own turf create hue and cry about losing market shares, which ultimately leads to trade frictions.

Fourth, trade protectionism is now more concentrated in products of iron and steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, textiles and apparels around the world in which too Chinese goods have dominated the global trade.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India