21评论丨为什么服务出口如此重要？

Core Viewpoint - The recent issuance of the policy measures by the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments aims to promote service exports, marking a significant step for China to transition from a "trade giant" to a "trade power" [2] Group 1: Service Export Growth - In the first four months of 2025, China's total service import and export volume exceeded 2.6 trillion yuan, with service exports growing by 14.6% year-on-year, indicating substantial potential and development space in service exports [2] - Knowledge-intensive services dominated service exports, with a total of 865.04 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.8% and accounting for 51.5% of total service exports [3] - The digital service sector is expanding significantly, with an estimated 2.5 trillion yuan (approximately 350 billion USD) in digitally deliverable services expected in 2024, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 12% and comprising 54% of total service trade [3] Group 2: Strategic Importance of Service Exports - Developing service exports is crucial for China's economic transformation, reducing reliance on traditional goods trade and enhancing the country's position in high-quality foreign trade development [4] - The shift towards knowledge-intensive, digital trade, and cultural exports signifies a move up the global trade value chain, positioning China as a key provider of high-end intermediate goods and solutions [4] - Strengthening participation in global value chain division, particularly in digital and cultural trade, will enhance China's influence in global rule-making and create new opportunities for high-quality economic development [4] Group 3: Highlights of the Policy Measures - The policy measures exhibit stronger collaboration among eight departments, addressing previous policy fragmentation by covering the entire chain from regulation to funding and technology [5] - The measures emphasize pilot programs in free trade zones and Hainan Free Trade Port to explore innovative data services and financial support, accumulating experience for nationwide implementation [5] - The focus on emerging fields like digital services and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reflects a balanced approach to achieving both targeted breakthroughs and comprehensive improvements [5] Group 4: Key Areas of Focus - The measures introduce innovative initiatives for cross-border data flow, which is essential for digital service exports, including guidelines for data identification and the establishment of international data centers [6] - Addressing financing challenges for SMEs, the measures propose expanding export credit insurance coverage and innovating intellectual property pledge financing to alleviate financial burdens [6] - Future recommendations include leveraging digital technology to enhance service exports, building service export industry clusters, and deepening financial supply-side structural reforms to support SMEs in the service export sector [6]