The Relationship between International Trade in Services and Traditional Trade in Goods

1. Trade form: the object of international service trade is generally intangible; Trade in goods is usually tangible.

2. Can the traded goods be stored? The services provided by international service trade are often produced, sold and consumed at the same time, so it has the characteristics of simultaneity, non-storability, non-transferability and internationality. On the other hand, trade in goods is generally separated from production, sales and consumption, and the traded goods can be stored.

3. Statistical methods of trade volume: There are various statistical methods of international service trade volume, and their statistical data are shown in the balance of payments tables of various countries, but not in the import and export statistics of customs of various countries. The trade volume of goods can be clearly obtained from customs statistics.

4. State protection of trade: The protection of service trade is flexible, hidden and selective, not fixed, open, unified and transparent, and its protection aims not only at commercial interests, but also at national security and political stability. The main forms of barriers include restrictions on the flow of service products, personnel, capital and the right of service providers to start business. The key point is that the protection of service trade is mainly based on the restrictions on the qualifications and activities of people (natural persons, legal persons and other economic organizations), while the protection of commodity trade is mainly based on the quantity and quality of commodities. In addition, the protection measures of commodity trade are mainly manifested in traditional trade barriers (tariffs, subsidies, quotas, etc.). ) and non-tariff barriers (environmental protection, human rights, etc. ).

5. Trade protection: In recent years, due to the strengthening of economic globalization and the operation of the WTO, commodity trade has shown a trend of liberalization, and its protection has obviously weakened, and traditional trade protection measures have been restricted. However, due to the sensitivity of the service industry in economic security, competitiveness and employment, the barriers to trade in services are still high. This is mainly reflected in the following aspects: strict restrictions on commercial existence and the movement of natural persons are the core barriers to market access; The breadth and depth of commitment are still limited, especially the proportion of "unrestricted" departments is low.

6. Trade supervision mode: international service trade is not regulated by border measures, but by relevant domestic laws and regulations. Trade in goods. Trade in goods is mainly regulated by measures such as tariffs, licenses and import and export quotas.