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Despite the steady growth in the recruitment and education of MBA students in China, there is a dearth of research on MBA students' perceptions of Business English Writing (BEW) in this context. This paper conducts a qualitative inquiry into Chinese MBA students' perceptions of BEW in English as a foreign language context in China. Forty-four MBA students of a ten-week BEW course participated in this study. An open-ended questionnaire was used near the end of the course to elicit their work-related writing needs, self-reflections on BEW abilities, and perceptions of the BEW course. A focus group was conducted with six students to provide insights into the students' work-related writing experience. The results showed that the students' work-related writing needs differed in terms of their respective job positions, with those working in foreign-funded enterprises or joint ventures having more job-related demands to write in English than those working at state-owned enterprises. Moreover, the students generally regarded their BEW abilities as moderately good or low, with distinct expectations of the BEW course raised. Pedagogic implications were drawn for improving BEW course in the Chinese context.

This paper considers China's economic development and place in the world economy. The People's Republic of China is becoming the most powerful country in the world in terms of GDP. Nowadays, China is an important partner in world trade both as an exporter and importer. Thus far, the United States has been the leading force in managing and coordinating the global economic and especially financial system, but now the economically advancing socialist China is a challenge to the USA. The Chinese model, socialism with Chinese characteristics, is discussed and compared with earlier stages of socialist construction, e.g. the NEP experiment of Soviet Union. The paper ends with notes about environmental and ecological problems, stressing the importance of socialist answers to these challenges. In this regard there are encouraging aspects in the current political program of the Chinese leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business English education concern is of great significance. Business English for International Trade in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) is widely acclaimed, and it is also a popular major. GDUFS has adopted the slogan "Learn from East and West, moral integrity and direct behavior". It is a famous cradle of learning, where complex and capable persons are educated. Through review and reflection into the findings of the practice of business English in GDUFS and other instructions, this paper is aimed at analyzing the situation of the present curriculum, identifying existing problems such as the misbalance between the English courses and Business courses based on the theory of Needs Analysis, and then make some suggestions to increase the percentage of the Business courses and Business practices. In this way, this paper can serve as a reference for the curriculum construction of Business English for International trade in GDUFS.

Weak effectiveness of bilingual education is an especially obvious phenomenon in non-key universities of China where students have poorer English ground and bilingual curriculums are unconstructive designed partly because of the scarcity of teaching resources. This paper discusses failures of these unconstructive curriculum systems from the view of cognitive learning and points out that just because of the lags in BICS [basic interpersonal communication skills] and CALP [cognitive academic language proficiency] of students in non-key universities, metacognitive process should be substantially considered and completely integrated in construction of bilingual curriculum system including aspects of bilingual allocation, subject design, bilingual arrangement and prepositive training. This paper takes International Business Specialty in non-key universities as an example and highly involves writer's teaching experiences. (Contains 1 figure.)

Projections for the global economy frequently center on the BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. As futurists and economists alike define and re-define both formal and informal coalitions (for example, by broadening the R in BRIC to include all Eastern European economies or instead re-directing the discussion to G-8 countries or to World Trade Organization members), the education profiles of the individual nations sometimes resemble economic indicators: what is imported, what is exported, and what is the potential for expansion. Higher education, and specifically distance learning (the Clicks element of this paper), can already be charted in these terms for some nations. This paper describes the current role of distance learning in countries described as growing economies and proposes a typology for describing change as additional data become available. The paper informs readers of global developments in distance education, using the BRIC nations as examples.(Contains 3 figures, 4 tables, and 13 resources.)

Africa-China or Sino-African relations continue to grow stronger. Africa sees China as a partner in development in the context of global South-South Cooperation. As a measure of friendship, China constructed the African Union headquarters at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for free. There has been cooperation between China and African countries. Moreover, China's role in Africa during the independence struggles is well noted and its development assistance to the continent has been phenomenal over the years. As Africa and China relations continue, several bottlenecks continue to mar the relationship. This paper highlights the bottlenecks of Africa-China relations by tracing the historical ties between China and African states. It delves into Africa-China relations in terms of South-South Cooperation and China's foreign policy of non-interference in internal matters of other states. It uses 2019 data to analyze China-Africa trade, investments and revenues accruing to both partners. The paper contributes to knowledge not just in terms of bilateral and multilateral relations but in terms of infrastructure trade and investment in Sino-African relations. It concludes that there is a need for China-African relations to achieve mutual benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, China's engagement beyond its geographical periphery, especially with Asian regions, has grown exceptionally, which is best evident in the Gulf sub-region and Western Asian nations. Indeed, energy-based interactions were the first to be established with Gulf Arab countries, and today, more than two decades after the Cold War, such relationships have evolved into tighter partnerships and engagement networks. Thus, in the last decade, China has increased its economic and political footprint in the Gulf region, as it has become one of the region's largest external investors and trade partners. In its relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, China faces varying challenges as each country pursues its interests, making the Chinese strategy in the region more complex. The Gulf countries have had to balance their relationship between the US as a security guarantor and China as an important economic partner. They strive to maximize their political and economic interests in the process. The main contention of this paper is that the GCC should not be viewed as a homogenous entity and that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a flexible approach designed to bolster China's economic objectives in each Gulf country. Our research scrutinizes China's geo-economic strategy and geopolitical aims about the Gulf States' aspirations to maximize their economic ties with China. Against this background, this paper discusses the political and economic relationships between the People's Republic of China and the Gulf Arab states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accommodating to the development of globalization, China witnesses a mounting demand for international business talents who are proficient in both foreign languages and business knowledge and adept at international cooperation and competition in business context. In order to meet this need, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, taking advantage of its resources in foreign languages and outstanding professional teachers, made a breakthrough in multidisciplinary teaching reform and took initiative to set up the program of International Business Innovation Class in autumn, 2010. In July 2014, it has delivered its first batch of graduates. Hence, it is of great significance to conduct relevant investigations on the teaching mode and practice timely so as to obtain data for assessing its teaching effectiveness and students' satisfaction. Based on empirical study, this paper evaluates three factors: learners' recognition, features and problems of this program, which aims at identifying existing problems in practical teaching, improving teaching quality and students' satisfaction and proposing feasible suggestions to address them. In a broader context, it attempts to provide a quotable paradigm for similar innovation programs or similar institutions' internationalization.

Based on a corpus of 296 authentic business emails produced in computer-mediated business communication from 7 Chinese international trade enterprises, this paper addresses the language strategy applied in CMC (Computer-mediated Communication) by examining the use of hedges. With the emergence of internet, a wider range of hedges are applied extensively in four types of business emails: marketing email, inquiry email, quotation email, follow-up email. Marketing emails have the most hedges while follow-up emails, quotation emails have the least, and inquiry emails in between. As plausible shields, modal verbs are massively adopted in four types of business emails to show politeness and eagerness for business partnership. Marketing emails employ adaptors and rounders to soften the exaggerated expressions in the introduction to the company and its products so as to make a convincing promotion. Both inquiry emails and quotation emails use adaptors and rounders very often when figures concerning products and prices are deliberately offered in a modest way for further negotiation. Follow-up emails use rounders, adaptors and attribute shield extensively in negotiating and reaching agreement. The three types of hedges help both parties to reduce risk and defend themselves against claims with tactic language strategy. The use of hedges in business emails demonstrates the flexibility of business communication with the help of IT technology. The rules of accurate expressions in business letters are no longer strictly observed in computer-mediated communication. The breakthrough of extensive hedge using in business emails showcases a change in business communication manners mediated by IT technology.

While there has been an increase in students studying abroad in China, this increase has not been seen in the respective number of articles published in scholarly journals on education abroad in China. This paper summarizes articles from journals on the types of education abroad programs in China, organized by topic, and by the outcomes and benefits of the programs as stated in the articles. The basis for this review is relevant literature from full-text journals published from 1975 to 2013. Of 213 returns from an online search, 25 were relevant for this literature review. The benefits and outcomes of education abroad in China culled from this literature review are compared to the list of ten main outcomes of study abroad programs presented by Parsons (2010). In addition, outcomes not listed by Parsons were identified.

The Food Safety Knowledge Network (FSKN) is a collaboration between Michigan State University, the Global Food Safety Initiative of the Consumer Goods Forum, and other food industry and public sector partners. FSKN's goal is to help strengthen the food industry's response to the complex food safety knowledge and training challenges that affect emerging markets by providing free access to high-quality, standardized learning resources. The resources were designed to be available on demand and as a structured learning experience which can support face-to-face training and fully online training. The pilots thus far have shown that participants in FSKN training demonstrate a significant increase in knowledge. The paper will share the processes used to set up an efficient open educational resources initiative including understanding licensing, using open software, establishing competencies and working with corporate and other international partners. (Contains 2 figures.)

International trade in educational services has grown substantially over the past decades. Now it is a billion dollar industry including recruitment of international students, establishment of university campuses abroad, franchised provision and on line education. WTO [World Trade Organization] requires each member nation to make its own schedule of commitments in education services, and to explain its limitations on market access and national treatment as well as other limitations. In the schedules of commitments, commitments are split into two sections: First, "horizontal" commitments which stipulate limitations that apply to all of the sectors included in the schedule; these often refer to a particular mode of supply, notably commercial presence and the presence of natural persons. Any evaluation of sector-specific commitments must therefore take the horizontal entries into account. Second, specific commitments which apply to trade in services in a particular sector or subsector are listed. This paper examines China's commitments in education services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It provides rough pictures about the impact of China's commitments on its education services.

Ports are critical centers of international trade and global logistics now that economic globalization has taken hold. The efficiency performance of port logistics is crucial to building an emerging pattern of development in which domestic and foreign dual cycles are complementary for China. This paper examines the efficiency performance of 19 ports within five major economic circles in China. It explores how their efficiency is distributed, and the configurations of efficiency improvement during the new normal of China's economy. First, the DEA-BCC model is employed to calculate the technical efficiency performance and distribution of each port from 2011 to 2020. Then, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was applied to integrate and analyze the influencing factors. The results show as follows: (1) Each port group performed differently on efficiency rankings, as well as regional distributions. Among these, the port groups of the Bohai Rim region, the Yangtze River Delta region, and the Bohai Rim region continue to rank highly. (2) From the perspective of configuration analysis, the results suggest that government support is not necessary for port logistics with better economic endowments. However, it is critical for backward ones. (3) A rational industrial structure can enhance levels of infrastructure, openness, and information technology, improving port performance. The findings can provide theoretical and practical references for better promoting the development of Chinese port management.al references for better promoting the development of Chinese port management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the influence of international trade, labor flow not only exists in the waves of international labor migration but is also embodied in international products and services. This paper focused on members of the China–Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC). We computed and analyzed the sectoral embodied labor transfer between China and Africa from 2000 to 2015 based on the Multiregional Input-Output Method. Our results are as follows: (1) Both China and Africa play roles as labor suppliers in the global supply chain. By ameliorating the trade structure, both China and Africa can better utilize their labor surplus. (2) China and Africa share complementarity in sectoral labor allocation. In short, the embodied labor transfer via international trade between China and Africa has, to some extent, relieved the labor shortage on both sides. (3) Africa has transformed into a net exporter of industrial labor since 2011. By analyzing the embodied labor flow from the global perspective, this paper beats a new path in depicting the effect of international trade on labor allocation, enriches the evaluation of embodied labor transfer between China and Africa, and also provides a beneficial supplement to Multiregional Input-Output analysis in the field of factor flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The relationship between FDI and trade has long been the subject of much economist research. However, many theoretical and empirical studies have not reached a universal and definitive conclusion. The prevailing view is that there may be substitution, complementarity and ambiguity between the two. The scientific goal of the article is to explore the relationship between China's FDI and trade with the European Union (EU) and to examine whether it is complementary or substitute. Materials and methods: The paper selects China's imports and exports from the EU and China's total direct investment in the EU from 2005-2020 and utilises quantitative analyses. The co-integration analysis and Granger causality test analysis were conducted in this paper. Results: It can be concluded that there is a stationary linear combination and long-term equilibrium relationship between Chinese FDI to the EU and trade with the EU. At the same time, Granger causality tests revealed a bidirectional causality relationship between China's FDI and trade with the EU. Practical implications: This paper provides information on the relationship between investment and trade when developed regions receive investment from a developing country. The study shows that Chinese investment in the EU and China-EU trade are mutually reinforced. Conclusion and summary: Chinese direct investment in the EU and China-EU bilateral trade interact with each other. A complementary relationship was found between China's FDI and trade with the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a series of aspects regarding the evolution of potato production and trade worldwide, for the period 2012-2019. In the present study were analyzed a series of benchmarks for the world sector of potatoes production and trading. The main indicators that have been presented and analyzed are: areas cultivated with potatoes worldwide; total potato production; average production per hectare of potatoes; consumption of potatoes; potatoes world trade. The world potato production sector has undergone substantial changes, but it remains one of the important sectors of activity, as the potato occupies a key place on the scale of important foods for the world's population food. According to statistics, China is the leader in the ranking of potato production. Data taken from the FAO website were used in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a special branch of global trade, the trade of agricultural products has an important impact on food security and the environment. In this paper, we studied international trade network of agricultural products from 2000 to 2016 as a whole and in part. We explored the overall characteristics of the network, analyzed the evolution of communities and identified core countries of the communities. The results show that the structure of the trade network became increasingly complex and the trade relations became closer over time. There were four major communities in the network, whose primary core countries were Germany, the United States, Brazil, and China. Since 2007, the community represented by China has disappeared, and the community pattern of the network has been in a three-pillar state and basically stable. We discuss the actual roles of certain trading countries, the formation of communities and the impact of economic events on agricultural products trade. This paper reveals the underlying patterns of the agricultural products trade and provides a way to track its evolution over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth study and analysis of the impact of foreign trade on cement products and the ecological environment in China through Granger causality analysis. Based on the theoretical basis of foreign trade, ecological environment, and the relationship between them, a general equilibrium model is used to empirically analyze the "three effects" of foreign trade in Chinese cement products on the ecological environment, and the effects of import and export trade on ecological environment and the net effects are calculated, respectively. Then, based on the data of domestic and foreign cement product production and trade, the purpose, scope, and environmental impact factors of the ecological impact of foreign trade of Chinese cement products were determined by the life cycle assessment method, and the inventory analysis was carried out in phases based on the six aspects of nonrenewable resource depletion, global warming, photochemical ozone generation, acidification, eutrophication, and human health damage. The results were characterized and standardized, and the hierarchical analysis method was used to weight the evaluation of each environmental impact type, and finally, the resource consumption coefficient and environmental impact load index values and corresponding ratios were determined based on the green product evaluation method. This paper establishes an index system for the ecological and environmental impacts of foreign trade of cement products, which is a guide for the ecological and environmental impacts of foreign trade of other products in China. The results of the study on the ecological and environmental impacts of foreign trade of Chinese cement products also have important practical significance for the formulation of regulations and standards related to the cement industry, the adjustment of the import and export structure of cement products, and the improvement of production equipment and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's renewable energy products have an important place in international trade, and the conclusion of the RCEP agreement can create favourable external conditions for China's renewable energy product exports. This paper measures the export potential of China's renewable energy products to other RCEP countries through a trade gravity model. The results show that (1) the GDP of the importing and exporting countries, the energy consumption of the importing countries, and the particulate emissions damage significantly enhance China's renewable energy product exports; (2) among the RCEP countries, China has a greater potential to export renewable energy products to five countries in 2020, which are mainly located in East and Southeast Asia; and (3) from a dynamic perspective, China's renewable energy trade potential is increasing, while in the Oceania region it is weakening, while trade links to Southeast Asian countries are developing in a more mature direction. Based on the above research, this paper puts forward corresponding policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the existing problems of quality education of specialization of international trade in current colleges and universities of China, and then propose several pieces of corresponding suggestion on educational reform. According to the characteristics of college and university education, we shall emphasize on the importance of quality education. Finally, we bring forward a series of countermeasures and proposals on the aspects of lecture mode, bilingual teaching, and training practical operation ability on instruction of specialization of international trade.

Globalization and technological revolutions are making the world more interconnected. International trade is one of the major approaches linking the world. Since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan shocked the global supply chain, more attention has been paid to the global impact of large-scale disasters. China is the second largest trader in the world and faces the most frequent natural disasters. Therefore, this study proposes a gravity model for China's bilateral trade tailored to national circumstances, and estimates the impact of natural disasters in China and trading partner countries on Chinese imports and exports. We analyzed Chinese and trading partner statistical data from 1980 to 2012. Study results show that: (1) China's natural disasters have a positive impact on imports, but have no significant impact on exports, (2) trading partner countries' natural disasters reduce Chinese imports and exports, (3) both development level and land area of the partners are important in determining the intensity of natural disaster impacts on China's bilateral trade. The above findings suggest that the impact of natural disasters on trade is asymmetric and significantly affected by other factors, which demand further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the exchange of Ming porcelain between Ming China and Joseon in comparison with those exchanges between Ming and other countries in East Asia in order to bring out similarities and differences and highlight the complexity and dynamics of East Asian cultural exchanges. First, the similarities are that the times when the Ming court bestowed porcelain on other countries were concentrated in the first half of the fifteenth century in most of the Asian region. Within the framework of tribute trade, porcelain with a three-clawed dragon design was found in large quantities. During similar periods of time, Longquan celadon and Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain as well as private kiln porcelain wares increased and had common features. Second, what makes the exchange with Joseon distinctive is the introduction of porcelain overland by Ming envoys whose country of origin was Joseon and the shipment of table ware sets manufactured by Ming imperial kilns. Also, most of the Ming porcelain discovered in Joseon has been Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain which was common with other East Asian countries, but only a few discoveries of Longquan or Zhangzhou wares, nor was there much Kraak ware from Jingdezhen kilns or Southeast Asian celadons. These differences put Joseon in a unique position. This analysis provides an implication that diplomatic interactions and the changes in distribution brought about by the main trading forces should be considered in order to have a deep understanding of porcelain exchange between Ming China and Joseon and throughout East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating economic globalization is a major driver of the transfer of embodied pollutant emissions from trade. China and the United States are currently the largest importers and exporters of agricultural products, respectively, and are also major producers and consumers of these products. This paper aims to analyze and compare the patterns of embodied agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) in the two countries, which is crucial for understanding how trade influences the transfer of such emissions. In this study, we calculated the embodied ACE of China and the United States from the perspectives of production and consumption for the years 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2016 by establishing a multi-regional input–output (MRIO) model. Additionally, we employed the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition method to analyze the driving factors behind the changes in embodied ACE over time. The findings indicated that the embodied ACE associated with imports and exports in China and the United States followed a pattern of increase and subsequent decrease during the period 1970–2016, with net imports escalating from −18.79 million tons and −3.62 million tons to 40.35 million tons and 51.22 million tons, respectively. This study identified two main factors contributing to the reduction in embodied ACE in both countries: the declining intensity of embodied ACE per unit of traded products and the diminishing proportion of the primary industry. The growth in GDP per capita, population expansion, and an increase in the proportion of agricultural products in international trade are predicted to promote an increase in embodied ACE imports and exports in both countries. This paper advocates for the reduction of embodied ACE through the continuous promotion of research and application of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies, an optimized industrial structure, and the implementation of relevant energy-saving and emission-reduction policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of globalization has separated the production and consumption of products spatially, and the international trade of products has become a carrier of embodied carbon trade. This paper adopted the perspective of value-added trade to calculate the amount of embodied carbon trade of China from 2006 to 2015 and perform a structural decomposition analysis of the changes in China's embodied carbon trade. This study found that: (1) China's embodied carbon exports are much larger than its embodied carbon imports, and there are differences between countries. China imported the largest amount of embodied carbon from South Korea, and it exported the largest amount of embodied carbon to the United States. (2) The structural decomposition analysis shows that changes in the value-added carbon emission coefficient during the study period would have caused China's embodied carbon trade to decrease, and changes in value-added trade would have caused China's embodied carbon trade to increase. Therefore, countries trading with China need to strengthen their cooperation with China in energy conservation, emission reduction, and product trade. In order to accurately reflect China's embodied carbon trade, it is necessary to calculate embodied carbon trade from the perspective of value-added trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new development pattern is a strategic choice to reshape China's new advantages in international cooperation and competition. It is based on China's current development stage, changes in the environment, and other factors. Located deep within China's interior, Xinjiang is a crucial region for the development of the western region and the Belt and Road Initiative. Its agricultural resources are exported to numerous foreign nations. In the context of the new development pattern, this paper first examines the foreign trade issues in Xinjiang. Second, this paper analyzes the current state of Sino-Kazakhstani trade, in particular the current state of trade in agricultural products. In addition, the growth potential of Xinjiang's agricultural international trade is analyzed utilizing the gravity model and fuzzy algorithm. Finally, countermeasures for the mode of development of Xinjiang's international trade are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of trust, lack of standards, and low efficiency are the three biggest problems in China's trade financing at present. With the development and application of new generation technologies such as big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology, China is in the stage of financial technology 3.0 under the deep integration of finance and technology. In the field of financial technology, the most concerned is the application of blockchain technology in trade finance business. With the successive construction of various blockchain platforms and the acceleration of the internationalization process, the international trade credit risk behind it is also increasing. Among many financial services, trade finance is the most closely integrated field with blockchain technology. In this context, preventing the risks in the business process of international trade enterprises, so as to reduce the cost of financial transactions, improve the effectiveness of financial services, and better serve the real economy is not only the internal development needs of enterprises, but also the national financial strategy needs. In view of the above problems, this paper analyzes the risk factors faced by multinational trading enterprises in the transaction process through the transaction data of some multinational enterprises on mobile phones, and constructs a credit evaluation system of international trading enterprises based on blockchain, in order to enhance the trade risk resistance ability of international trading companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the development of intelligent iteration technology and the use of big data processing technology have set off an upsurge, and the analysis and application of artificial intelligence algorithms have been paid more and more attention. In order to face the challenges of Arab migration and international trade, this paper constructs the basic structure of the Arab migration action imitation model. In this paper, a simulated servo clustering algorithm based on big data and intelligent iteration is used. Then, through the analysis of pseudo servo clustering algorithm, an optimization model is established, and a big data analysis system is formed. This paper focuses on the wide application of big data statistics to solve the construction of Arab immigration and entrepreneurship data system. This paper studies and applies the big data statistics and intelligent iterative algorithm of Arab immigration behavior, focuses on the annual ladder degree of Arab immigrants, and constructs a pseudo servo cluster system based on Intelligent iterative algorithm. Finally, the simulation experiment verifies whether the clustering model can accurately retrieve the behavior of Arab immigrants in China. The era of big data provides good development opportunities for Arab immigrants and international trade, but it also faces severe challenges. The study provides a reference for strengthening the analysis of international trade, and puts forward perfect countermeasures in combination with the actual situation, so as to improve the efficiency of international trade management and promote the better implementation of international trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural and creative industries are another fast-growing new industry after the information technology industry and have become a major driving force in global international trade and economic development. In this paper, the index of "export complexity" is chosen to measure the export complexity of cultural and creative products in China and 42 representative countries selected by UNCTAD's "Creative Economy" database for measurement and comparative analysis. This paper uses a grey prediction model to forecast the relative export complexity of China's cultural and creative products. The prediction results show that from 2016 to 2025, the relative export complexity of China's cultural and creative products is less than 1, but the value is increasing, and the gap between the export structure of China's cultural and creative products and the global average in the increasingly competitive international market will narrow year by year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the trade network connectivity is essential for understanding the trade network structure, optimizing trade development patterns, and improving uneven trade development along the "Belt and Road" (BRI). From the perspective of connectivity, this paper integrates the frontier algorithms in network science and constructs an analytical framework to identify the mesoscale structures, including the community structure, core-periphery structure, and backbone structure embedded in the network, and further explore the structural connectivity of the BRI trade network. The results show that: (1) The BRI trade network represents a trade pattern of "one superpower, many great powers", with three major trade groups in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Northern Central and Eastern Europe in terms of geographical space. China is the super core of the BRI trade network, and the most considerable trade links are all centred in China. (2) Five distinctive trade blocs have formed in the BRI trade network. Nevertheless, the structure of the trade blocs shows significant geographical proximity, indicating that geographical distance still plays a vital role in the international trade system at the regional scale. (3) The BRI trade network demonstrates a significant core-periphery structure, with apparent trade clustering among the core countries within the trade network. Among them, nine countries led by China constitute the core structure, and the peripheral structure is large, reaching forty-four. (4) The trade links with China constitute the backbone structure of the whole trade network in the BRI region. In addition, the trade links related to energy trade and re-export trade are also crucial components of the BRI backbone structure. Methodologically, the analytical framework proposed for assessing the network structural connectivity has great potential to be widely applied to other disciplines and fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new development concept is the theoretical guidance and important foundation for high-quality foreign trade development in the new era. This paper develops an evaluation index system to measure the high-quality development level of foreign trade based on the meaning of high-quality development of foreign trade under the new concept of development. The dynamic changing trend of high-quality development of China's provincial foreign trade from 2013 to 2019 and the ranking change of the development index are examined in this paper using a time series factor model. Finally, China's provinces are categorized based on the quality of their foreign trade development. The findings show that, from 2013 to 2019, China's high-quality foreign trade development has been on the rise; the level of high-quality foreign trade development has been raised to varying degrees in the eastern, central, and western regions of China, but each region plays a different role. Compared to 2013, the truly "high-quality" areas of China's provincial foreign trade development were always concentrated in the eastern region, which ranked high on the comprehensive evaluation index, while the "low-quality" areas were mainly concentrated in the central and western regions, which ranked low on the comprehensive evaluation index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guangzhou is located in the southern part of China, near the South China Sea, belongs to Guangdong Province. It serves as China's southern gateway to the world and was historically called "The Southern Treasure of the Emperor", playing a crucial role in China's maritime trade history. Throughout Chinese history, Guangzhou underwent several cycles of "closure" and "opening", policies that severely impacted trade. However, foreign merchants never ceased to request permission from the Chinese government to engage in trade. In 1757, Emperor Qianlong decreed Guangzhou as the only one official port for foreign trade. This edict led to the establishment of the one port trading system in Guangzhou, as the Qing government aimed to counter foreign influences and local uprisings while maintaining a self-sufficient small-scale agricultural economy. Western nations and their traders sought opportunities within this system, aspiring to expand trade to other regions of China, even the inland areas. The exclusive status of Guangzhou as China's only one trading port persisted until 1842, following the defeat of the Qing government in the Opium War against Britain, the Nanjing Treaty was signed. This treaty opened Guangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou, and Xiamen as trading ports, bringing an end to the one port trading system. The reasons and impacts of the establishment of this system have not been comprehensively analyzed to date. Therefore, this paper based on historical archives, analyzes both the direct and underlying reasons behind Emperor Qianlong's decision and elucidates the system's diverse impacts on various aspects of Qing-era China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the global economy and trade, the number of ships serving ports in China is increasing continuously. Port traffic is becoming busier, and ship behavior is more complex and changeable. The analysis of ship behavior patterns in port waters has become an urgent problem to improve the efficiency and safety of port areas. In this paper, through the full integration of ship trajectory and port geographic information, the behavior chain of a single ship across the whole process of entering and exiting the port is identified. The traffic complexities and dynamics can be further analyzed by grouping the movement patterns of large ships. Based on graph theory, the port areas can be described as a transportation network in which functional areas are nodes and fairways between different areas are edges. The traffic can be analyzed through the network structure characteristics, such as node degree, node weight, and edge weight, and by their similarities and differences. This methodology provides a quantitative analysis for exploring the behavior patterns of large ships as well as the various traffic complexities. A case study in Tianjin Port has been conducted to verify the proposed model. The results show that it can accurately analyze a ship behavior's regularity, occasion, and correlation. It provides a theoretical reference for the port to schedule and formulate emergency plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the dynamics of foreign trade in the post-Soviet space within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) during the period from 2015 to 2021. Additionally, the paper analyzes export indicators in foreign and mutual trade of the EAEU member countries and diversification of the commodity structure as well as its dynamics based on the commodity concentration index for each member country. Our paper identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the EAEU, analyzes the opportunities and threats of development, and focuses on the trends and prospects. The main strengths include the institutional and legal structure of the EAEU single market, the historical, cultural, and economic proximity of the EAEU member countries, the transit potential of the territory, the high level of domestic trade, and the increasing share of ruble transactions in the trade turnover. The most significant weaknesses are the low efficiency of the institutional structure, the gap in the socio-economic level of development of the participating countries, unstable geopolitical situations in some member countries, the low level of recognition of the EAEU in the world market, economic and political conflicts of interests of the member countries, and the dependence on Western technologies in some key industries. Strategically important opportunities can be found in the creation and implementation of a long-term development strategy, diversification of trade with the Middle East and Asian countries, expansion in terms of the territorial composition, development of the institutional and legal structure as well as cooperation ties, as well as the cooperation in the field of technological innovation and financial security. Among the most significant threats were identified the outpacing growth in the share of EAEU members' trade with China, the expansion of economic and political contradictions between the EAEU member countries, and the strengthening of the positions of alternative currencies in foreign trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a cornerstone of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It aims to enhance regional trade and economic expansion in Pakistan. We adopted systematic review approach to investigate the agricultural trade narrative of the CPEC and identify future research avenues. Our study uses the Web of Sciences and Scopus database to extract the relevant literature. We executed the search query for 2013–2023. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement to identify the literature. The final analysis includes only 14 articles. We found that the literature mainly focuses on three topics, Gwadar port, road infrastructure, and agricultural complementarity and competitiveness. The review reveals the significant potential of CPEC on the agricultural trade of Pakistan. Based on the review, we point to avenues that could be considered in future research work to fully exploit the potential of CPEC in the agriculture sector of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past twenty years, China has become the world's largest trading nation and a significant trading partner for most countries. Despite these important links, concerns regarding China's commercial and diplomatic goals persist due to its unique state-centric economic structure. This paper applies an augmented gravity model to tease out drivers of China's bilateral trade relationships, asking why some countries are more important than others as sources of Chinese imports. Our results show that both business and political considerations drive China's import decisions. Political friendliness with China, as measured by UN General Assembly voting records, or established trade agreements, has a positive impact on exports to China. The results further suggest that countries with official diplomatic ties with Taiwan export less to China. Membership in China's Belt and Road Initiative, however, does not generally translate into a significant increase in Chinese imports from the member country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is particularly essential in the equilibrium between man and nature because of its intimate contact with nature. So the cornerstone for the sustainable development of the human economy and society is the sustainable development of agriculture. When it comes to global trade, agricultural trade has always been in a very special position. The basic situation of agriculture involves food safety, environmental protection, Chinese politics, and many other issues. In order to overcome the problems of overlapping, repetitive, and too many indicators in the evaluation method of agricultural environmental sustainable development and unfavorable for practical operation, this paper proposes an ecological footprint model based on emergy. The model can effectively evaluate the ability of sustainable development of agricultural environment and solve the problem that traditional evaluation methods cannot comprehensively evaluate. This makes agricultural development sustainable and is conducive to the liberalization of international agricultural trade. The experimental results of this paper show that from 2014 to 2018, the degree of damage to the agricultural environment has increased from 21% to 45%, which has led to a decline in the quality of agricultural products, and the output and sales are not as good as before. It can be seen that only by ensuring the sustainable development of the agricultural environment can we ensure the smooth progress of the international agricultural trade liberalization and make China's economy flourish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]