By Zhang Qi, Lv Gang, Zong Fangyu & Zhao Fujun, Research Team on “Strategic Options for the Promotion of China’s Service Trade Competitiveness”, Research Department of Foreign Economic Relations, DRC

Research Report, No.164, 2019 (Total 5664) 2019-9-18

Abstract: In recent years, China’s service trade has maintained a smooth and rapid development and become a new driving force for foreign trade and economic growth. In face of the development trend of global service trade which brings with it both opportunities and challenges, China needs to further analyze and appropriately evaluate the new features and trends of domestic service trade development, find out existing problems and deep-seated causes, accelerate the development of service industries and improve international competitiveness of service trade. By so doing could we hopefully lay a solid foundation for participating in international economic and trade cooperation and competition as well as the formulation of high-standard international economic and trade rules. The paper analyzes the competitiveness of China’s service trade in a comprehensive and in-depth manner and from different perspectives. Research findings show that China’s service trade has seen rapid development and enhanced competitiveness, whereas there is still room for improvement compared with developed countries. More efforts need to be made to accelerate reforms of management systems, advance opening up and forge new competitiveness of domestic service trade across the board.

Key words: service trade, competitiveness, international comparisons