The impact of Technical Barriers to Trade on China’s environmental goods exports to CPTPP

Abstract

In the context of rising global environmental awareness and increasingly stringent non-tariff trade measures, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) have become a crucial factor shaping international trade flows, particularly for products with high technological and environmental content. As China seeks accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), understanding the relationship between TBT imposed by CPTPP members and China’s environmental goods exports has significant policy relevance. This study examines the extent to which TBT implemented by CPTPP countries influence China’s exports of environmental goods from 2010 to 2024, drawing on the APEC Environmental Goods List as the basis for product classification. The findings consistently demonstrate that TBT exert a statistically significant and positive impact on China’s environmental goods exports to CPTPP member states. They have meaningful implications for China’s CPTPP accession efforts, suggesting that aligning domestic standards with high-level international norms may transform TBT compliance into a competitive advantage in global green trade.