Green trade barriers against China and Countermeasures

 Since the 90s of the 20th century, the economy in harmony with environmental protection and sustainable development model for the international community, governments and environmental community to concern. The international market demand for green products and more. For the protection of natural resources, ecological environment and human health, many countries and regions to develop a series of environmental systems and standards. in international trade, the environmental standards of products from other countries and services set up barriers to restrict imports, to a certain extent, protect the country market in violation of the fair trade criteria, which constitute the green barrier. It is estimated that China's annual 70 billion dollars at least the export of goods subject to the treatment of green barriers is becoming the focus of foreign trade.
a green trade barriers on the export of goods has long been China's export product mix
of primary products, the main trade partners are Japan, USA, EU, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other countries, these countries are our major products, product standards difficult to achieve short-term environmental technical standards, such as anti-pollution standards, noise standards, electromagnetic radiation standards, packaging standards and so on. China's exports of electromechanical products, textiles clothing, agricultural products are to varying degrees by the constraints of these standards, such as frozen chicken because of China's health quarantine does not meet EU standards, the EU has decided to August 1, 1996, the ban imports of frozen chicken; from 1996 onwards, China's apparel exports to the EU slowed down, mainly due to residual contamination of clothing do not meet environmental standards; more than 20 manufacturers in China at present only a single species of drugs through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration increased scrutiny, exports to the United States; since July 1, 2000, the EU official introduction of the new maximum allowable limits of pesticide residues in the value of restricted use pesticides to 62 species, the new standard of at least 30% of tea exports to the EU can not.
It is estimated that in early 2002 to the end of July, foreign technical barriers to trade, especially agricultural exports of green trade barriers caused by the direct and indirect losses of about 10 billion U.S. dollars.
Second, China's export products subject to restrictions on the green trade barriers After China's accession to the WTO because
by the concept of lack. Since the reform and opening up, China's environmental awareness has increased, but overall, China's economic development is still stuck in the consumption of natural resources, environmental quality at the expense of economic development models.
2, low environmental standards in China . Environmental standards are related to pollution control, protection of the environment standards of the general. China's environmental standards are too low compared with international standards, the lack of response to the , the adoption of international standards and foreign advanced standards less than 50%, a serious lack of high-tech standards. In addition, foreign standards in product research and development phase began to develop, and the relative backwardness of the standard-setting, periodic and long. because of the food standards lagging behind international standards, resulting in a qualified domestic product in the export by the importing country because of antibiotics, pesticide and veterinary drug residues exceeding been returned or destroyed in the end.
3, low awareness of enterprise certification, certification weak. ISO14000 Environmental Management system to become enterprises across the world of more than 500, most of them foreign-funded enterprises, listed companies through the certification mainly concentrated in the appliance industry, more companies are still hovering outside the ISO14000 certification.
Third, our response to the strategy
1 green barriers establish and improve environmental trade law system. As a member of the World Trade Organization, China should become familiar with international trade rules of the game, not only to become the executor of rules of the game, but also as its makers. Chinese trade barriers in the study of green features of other countries introduced measures to deal with, but also in accordance with international practice as soon as possible, involving safety, hygiene, health and environmental protection of imported goods, adjusted inspection, quarantine regulation, establish their own green screen necessary to protect our ecological environment, citizens and the safety and health of animals and plants, but also to increase foreign bargaining chips. in particular the introduction of foreign direct investment, while foreign companies in China to ban the construction of pollution is serious, corporate governance problems, and gradually change their own in the international division of labor in the at a disadvantage.