Interview with Huang Lihua of Fuzhou University of Foreign Languages and Trade: How should we deal with the trend of digitalization and greening of trade?
The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reforms and Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization" adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to strengthen the coordination of trade policies and fiscal, taxation, finance, and industrial policies, create an institutional support and policy support system for a strong trading country, and accelerate the integrated reform of domestic and foreign trade and actively respond to the trend of digitalization and greening of trade. What is the background for the proposal of digitalization and greening of trade? Faced with the green trend, how should we seize opportunities and achieve high-quality development? Our reporter interviewed Huang Lihua, a professor at Fuzhou University of Foreign Languages and Trade.
Huang Lihua is a professor, doctor, and master's supervisor at Fuzhou University of Foreign Languages, a special researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Fujian Province, deputy director of the Carbon Economy Research Center, deputy director of the Research Center for Digital Commerce and Industrial Integration Development, and deputy director of the Digital Commerce and Trade Research Center, head of the Cross-Strait Integrated Development, Economic, Trade Integration and Green Development Research and Innovation Team, and has won high-level talents from Fujian Province. Honorary titles such as famous teacher of ideological and political teaching in Fujian Province.
China Environment News: The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reforms and Promoting Chinese-Style Modernization" adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposes to strengthen the coordination of trade policies and fiscal, taxation, finance, and industrial policies to create institutional support and policy support for a strong trading country. Support system, accelerate the integrated reform of domestic and foreign trade, and actively respond to the trend of digitalization and greening of trade. What is the background for the proposal of digitalization and greening of trade?
Huang Lihua:In recent years, my government has vigorously promoted green development and technological innovation, and introduced a series of policies and measures to encourage enterprises to integrate green and digital elements into production and operations. These policy guidance and support have laid the foundation for the greening and digitalization of foreign trade.
At the same time, foreign trade companies are constantly adjusting and optimizing their own structures in the face of competition and actively adapting to market demand. Through digital transformation, companies can improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and increase the added value of products, thereby enhancing international competitiveness. In terms of greening, companies improve the environmental protection performance of products by introducing clean energy and adopting green technologies to meet the high standard requirements of green products in the international market.
In addition, changes in international market rules have also promoted the greening and digital transformation of my country's foreign trade. As major markets such as the European Union and the United States become increasingly stringent on environmental protection and carbon emissions, companies must adapt to these changes, meet the standard requirements of importing countries through green upgrades, and maintain market share.
Trade data in recent years fully proves that my country's trade has shown green and digital changes. In terms of greening, from 2013 to 2022, my country's green trade scale will grow at an average annual rate of 3.18%, and its global share will increase by 2.3 percentage points. In 2023, green will become the distinctive background for the high-quality development of foreign trade. 4 out of every 10 vehicles exported by my country are electric vehicles, 7 out of every 10 rail locomotives are electric locomotives, and nearly 90% of the batteries exported are lithium batteries. The green attributes of foreign trade exports are stronger. In terms of digitalization, my country's exports of high-tech products accounted for 18.7% of the total export value, a year-on-year increase of 6%. Exports of self-owned brand products increased by 9.3%, accounting for 21% of total exports. Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Commerce and relevant departments have actively promoted the application of digital technology in the field of trade, and the proportion of paperless goods released in some ports in my country has reached 90%.
In the future, my country will further increase its support for the digitalization and green transformation of trade. For example, in terms of green trade development, we will actively guide the green and low-carbon coordinated transformation of the foreign trade supply chain, build a public service platform for green trade development, support enterprises in researching and developing various green and low-carbon products, consolidate and enhance the export competitiveness of advantageous products, and support green ships to explore the international market and expand international economic and trade cooperation in the green field. In terms of trade digitalization, we will rely on platforms such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Global Trade Digital Pilot Zone, the Shanghai Free Trade Pilot Zone, the Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base, as well as pilot projects in Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen and other places to accelerate the promotion and application of electronic trade documents. In subsequent free trade agreement negotiations, we will also actively promote the inclusion of relevant provisions on paperless trade and electronic trade documents.
China Environment News: At present, what challenges does my country's foreign trade face in terms of greening?
Huang Lihua:First of all, the innovation capabilities and green technology levels of foreign trade companies are uneven. Although some leading companies have made great progress in greening, a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises still face multiple bottlenecks such as technology, capital, and talent in these aspects, resulting in a slow pace of overall industrial upgrading. This technological gap and capability gap restrict the comprehensive advancement of my country's foreign trade greening.
Secondly, the complexity and diversity of international trade rules and standards have put forward higher requirements for enterprises. As the demand for green products grows in the global market, the international community's requirements for environmental protection standards are becoming more and more stringent. When responding to these changes, my country's foreign trade companies may face the challenge of rising technical barriers and compliance costs.
Third, the instability of global supply chains remains an important challenge. Factors such as epidemics, natural disasters, and geopolitical conflicts may lead to supply chain interruptions or delays, thus affecting the delivery of foreign trade orders and market stability. Especially in the field of green products, the safety and continuity of the supply chain are crucial.
China Environment News: Facing the trend of green, how should foreign trade companies seize opportunities and achieve high-quality development?
Huang Lihua:Driven by the global wave of greening, foreign trade companies are facing tremendous transformation pressure, but at the same time they have also ushered in unprecedented development opportunities. In order to achieve high-quality development, foreign trade companies need to seize key opportunities in this trend and respond to them through a series of strategic measures.
Greening has become an important condition for foreign trade companies to gain recognition in the international market. As consumers and regulators around the world continue to pay increasing attention to environmental protection, companies must incorporate green concepts into product design, production processes and supply chain management. Foreign trade companies can reduce carbon emissions and improve the environmental performance of their products by developing low-carbon products, adopting renewable energy, and optimizing logistics and transportation. At the same time, companies should also actively participate in green certification and standard formulation to ensure that products meet the environmental requirements of the international market, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in the global market.
In this process, companies should also focus on technological innovation and R & D investment. Technological innovation is the core driving force for green transformation. For example, through blockchain technology, companies track the carbon footprint of their products, thereby winning the trust and market share of more customers.
In addition, foreign trade companies should also strengthen international cooperation and exchanges. Green transformation is a global trend, and it is difficult for a single enterprise to complete comprehensive transformation and upgrading alone. Through cooperation with international companies, scientific research institutions, and government departments, foreign trade companies can share resources and technology to jointly respond to challenges in transformation. At the same time, companies can also participate in international exhibitions, industry forums, etc. to understand the latest global green development trends, learn from advanced experience, and continuously optimize their own transformation paths.
Enterprises need to balance short-term benefits and long-term development in green transformation. The transformation process often requires a large amount of capital and resource investment, which may bring financial pressure to the company in the short term. However, in the long run, green transformation will help companies enhance market competitiveness and achieve sustainable development. Therefore, enterprises should formulate scientific and reasonable transformation plans, steadily promote various green tasks, and ensure that high-quality development is achieved while seizing opportunities.
China Environment News: How to further promote the greening of foreign trade?
Huang Lihua:In order to further promote the greening of foreign trade, we can start from the following aspects:
First, improve the policy system and strengthen government guidance. The government should further improve green-related policies, improve green standards and certification systems, and encourage enterprises to adopt more environmentally friendly production processes and materials. At the same time, through preferential fiscal and tax policies and green financial tools, enterprises are supported to reduce financial pressure during the green transformation process and improve the market competitiveness of green products.
Secondly, strengthen the research and development and promotion of green technologies. Governments and enterprises should increase investment in green technology research and development and promote technological innovation in new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, new materials and other fields. At the same time, promote the promotion and application of these technologies, especially technical support for small and medium-sized enterprises, help them achieve green transformation and improve the green level of the entire industrial chain.
Third, establish and improve green supply chains. Green supply chains are an important way to promote the greening of foreign trade. Enterprises should work closely with upstream and downstream partners to jointly build a green supply chain, reduce carbon emissions and improve resource utilization efficiency through full-process green management, thereby improving the environmental performance and market competitiveness of products.
Fourth, strengthen international cooperation and enhance the international connection of green trade standards. China should actively participate in the formulation of international green standards, promote international cooperation on green standards, and ensure that China's green products can smoothly enter the international market. At the same time, through cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, we will promote the construction of green supply chains and green infrastructure and promote the sustainable development of global green trade.
Fifth, enhance consumers 'awareness of green consumption. The government and society should work together to enhance consumers 'awareness of green consumption through publicity, education, demonstration and promotion, etc., and guide the transfer of market demand to green products, thereby promoting foreign trade enterprises to accelerate their green transformation.
Finally, promote foreign trade enterprises to innovate green business models. Enterprises should explore green business model innovations, such as developing circular economy, promoting green labeling and environmental certification, promoting customization and personalized services of green products, and meeting diversified market needs. By innovating business models, companies can occupy a more favorable position in global green trade and enhance market influence.
China Environment News: In the process of promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, how can greening help my country's foreign trade achieve new growth points?
Huang Lihua:Greening has promoted the optimization and upgrading of my country's foreign trade industrial structure. Under the framework of the "Belt and Road", China actively promotes cooperation in green energy, green transportation and other fields, such as renewable energy projects such as solar energy and wind energy, which not only provides high-quality green products to countries along the route, but also expands the international market space of China's green industry has formed a new growth point for foreign trade.
At the same time, the coordinated development of green and digitalization has won more international recognition and market opportunities for my country's foreign trade enterprises. By integrating green concepts into digital trade, such as using blockchain technology to track the carbon footprint of products, companies can demonstrate their efforts in environmental protection and sustainable development to the international market, which will help enhance the company's international image and market share, further consolidating the market foundation of countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.
