Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management ISSN: 2766-824X | Vol. 6, No. 2, 2022 17 The Impact of International Trade Structure on the Environment and Countermeasures Tao Wu, Sarula Ning, Honglin Wang and Yixuan Zhou Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, 233030, China Abstract: The structure of international trade has a significant impact on the environment, so effective measures should be taken to control the environmental pollution caused by international trade. Therefore, it is necessary to do a good job in the research on the impact of international trade structure on the environment. This paper chooses international trade as the starting point, analyzes the influence of international trade structure on domestic ecological environment, and gives some countermeasures in combination with specific conditions, so as to realize ecological environment protection on the basis of promoting the development of international trade and avoid the old road of sacrificing the environment for economic development. It is hoped that the relevant discussion in this paper can provide reference for similar research. Keywords: International trade structure; Ecological environment; countermeasure. Under the background of global economic integration, international trade activities become more and more frequent. With the increasing economic benefits of international trade, the environmental problems caused by it have gradually attracted the attention of all countries in the world. International trade structure refers to the proportion of the trade volume of goods and services in the total international trade in a certain period of time. Through international trade structure, we can know the comparative advantage of a country in a certain period of time and reflect the industrialization degree of a country. Under different industrialization development processes, its impact on the environment is different. Therefore, to explore the impact of international trade structure on the environment, we should analyze the problems pertinently based on the current situation of international trade, so as to ensure the effectiveness of research strategies. 1. The Significance of International Trade to Economic Development The development of international trade is crucial to the sustainable development of the national economy, and it helps to improve enterprises' awareness of international competition and scientific and technological progress, mainly in the following aspects. 1.1. Promote national economic growth China's foreign trade is of unprecedented importance. Accordingly, China has studied and formulated the foreign trade system to ensure that the international trade can show a rapid and stable development trend, which is embodied in increasing foreign investment and establishing special economic zones [1]. China is in the stage of transition to market economy. In order to promote the effective promotion of capital and speed up the development of technology- intensive products, China has entered the era of huge trade surplus. A country's economic development level is the foundation of its sustainable development, and international trade is the main driving force of international economic growth, which plays an important role in economic cooperation between China and other countries and improving the economic development level of other countries [2]. 1.2. Enhance the awareness of international competition of domestic enterprises The adjustment of global economic structure and the increase of multinational companies have greatly accelerated China's economic growth, directly affecting the growth rate of China's GDP, increasing the international trade surplus in the short term, and the growth of net exports has made great contributions to GDP growth. However, in the long run, only increasing domestic demand can promote the long-term growth of GDP. The development of international economy and trade can greatly stimulate the innovation potential of enterprises and talents, thus the international competitiveness of enterprises is greatly improved under the background of all-round economic development [3]. At the same time, under the background of global economic and trade integration, enterprises must determine their own mode of production and business philosophy, adapt to the development of the international economic situation, improve their production and management efficiency, international competitiveness and economic benefits. 1.3. It is conducive to promoting scientific and technological progress It is the primary productive force of science and technology. In order to promote the sound development of China's economy, China must increase the research and development of advanced science and technology. At the same time, the sustainable development of international economy and trade provides a good economic foundation for the further development of science and technology. Follow the law of national economic development, constantly improve the ability of scientific and technological research and development, and ensure the sustained and stable operation of the economy [4]. Countries can promote their own economic development by importing advanced equipment and technology in the economic and social fields from other countries. Therefore, the development of international trade and the progress of science and technology complement each other. 18 2. Analysis of the Impact of International Trade Structure On the Environment For the sustainable development of international economic trade, first of all, we need to think about the environmental protection problems that will occur in the process of international economic trade transactions. The protection of ecological environment has always been an important content of modern human beings, and it is also a problem that every country is trying to solve. If environmental protection is done well, it can better stabilize the whole world economic structure and environment. When China formulates the international economic and trade development strategy, it should be based on the basic principles of sustainable development and ecological development, and relevant measures should be adjusted. It is conceivable that with the deepening of economic liberalization and integration, the problems of ecological environment will become increasingly serious. With the continuous consumption of global resources, the competition among countries for resources is becoming more and more fierce, and there is a very close relationship between economic growth and the environment [5]. As the most important part of modern world economic development, China needs to exert its own strength, continuously implement the basic principles of ecological development, and formulate strategies in the future according to the corresponding sustainable development theory. Since the 20th century, international environmental issues have been a hot issue of common concern in the world. International conferences on environmental issues have been held frequently, and more and more countries have participated in them, which proves that the whole world attaches great importance to the harmonious relationship between economic development and the environment, and the most important thing in international exchanges between countries is environmental issues [6]. In order to better solve all kinds of problems of ecological resources, the concept of green consumption and green development advocated by modern times will make the general trend of global future development approach to sustainable development. As a sunrise industry in the future, environmental protection industry plays a very important role in the economic and trade development of all countries. Although the most important development trend of modern international economic and trade diversification is to take capital and human resources as the corresponding output form, technology and price are usually used as the basic standards for bidding. At present, all countries have incorporated policies and regulations related to environmental protection into import and export, and China has adopted corresponding environmental protection policies, but China will also be hindered by corresponding environmental barriers. For example, the green barriers in Europe restrict China's economy and trade, so how to overcome the green barriers in international trade is also a problem that China needs to fully consider at present, in order to further promote the healthy development of China's international trade. [7] 3. Opportunities and Challenges Faced by China's International Trade Development In 2020, China's foreign trade amounted to 4,646.258 billion US dollars, of which 2,590.646 billion US dollars were exported and 2,055.612 billion US dollars were imported. The annual trade surplus was as high as 535.034 billion US dollars. On the whole, it showed a significant growth trend and created a larger trade scale. China's share in international trade further increased, but it still faced some challenges while having development opportunities [8]. 3.1. Opportunities for China's international trade development (1) help to attract foreign capital and investment. Global economic integration is the main trend of current economic and trade development. Under the background of the vigorous development of global economy and trade, the economic exchanges between countries in the world have become closer and closer, making it easier for local enterprises in China to attract foreign investment. However, there is much room for improvement in the management level of most domestic enterprises. Excellent talents in enterprises should innovate their management methods, improve their management level, and accelerate the attraction of foreign capital, so as to improve the development speed of the national economy. (2) help to optimize the industrial structure The rapid development of China's economy has promoted the improvement of social productivity, thus intensifying market competition and refining the division of labor in the international market. Influenced by the global economy and trade, China's industrial structure is more optimized, which is embodied in the clear internal division of labor, which not only effectively reduces the waste of resources, but also promotes the improvement of production quality and efficiency, thus establishing a relatively complete industrial structure [9]. Trade liberalization has led to the opening up of all countries, which has greatly promoted the development of China's foreign trade. China's opening to the outside world has gradually deepened, and its exchanges with other countries have gradually increased, which has better adapted to the trend of world economic diversification. 3.2. Challenges faced by China's international trade development (1) Trade competition intensifies. Due to the increasingly close trade ties among countries, under the new situation, the dependence of economic recovery among countries on international trade is further increased. In order to improve competitiveness and promote regional economic integration, different countries are competing in the form of international trade [10]. (2) The role of service trade development in economic growth has increased. According to the report of the WTO website, the global trade in services grew at an average annual rate of 9% from 2017 to 2020, which has already exceeded the growth rate of commodity trade. Among them, the growth rates of various fields are quite different around the world. For example, European and American countries and regions are in the leading position in the world in the trade fields of high value- added services such as information and communication, banking, insurance and telecommunications [11]. The rapid development of China's service trade has had a great impact on global economic transactions and formed a new growth point of international trade. (3) The overall growth rate of trade has accelerated, and 19 emerging economies have become dominant. Under the background of economic globalization, international trade continues to grow. However, with the coming of the 21st century, developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union are affected by financial liberalization, insufficient domestic demand, aging population, high welfare level, and slowing economic growth [12]. The economic market system of developing countries is in the process of continuous improvement, making it the most promising economy. 4. Measures to Deal with The Environmental Impact of International Trade Structure 4.1. Improve product quality At present, China's export products are mainly labor- intensive products, which can fully reflect the advantages of China's manufacturing. However, due to its relatively low technical content, under the requirements of the development of modern green economy, China's industrial structure must be adjusted, and relevant technologies should be developed, especially the development and application of new energy sources, so as to alleviate the increasingly serious energy crisis. At the same time, China should optimize and upgrade the structure of export products according to the actual situation in time, reduce the proportion of primary products in export products and increase the proportion of high-tech products, so as to break the green trade barrier and better restrain the behavior of other countries. In the process of improving the product technology, technicians should strengthen the application of environmental protection technology, strive to save energy while transforming the equipment, improve the resource utilization rate of product production and increase the environmental protection value of the product, so as to better show the value of the product itself and fully reflect our country's emphasis on environmental protection. All these measures can promote the implementation of China's sustainable development strategy and enhance China's competitiveness in international trade. 4.2. Optimize the import and export trade strategy and introduce talents For the government, the import and export trade strategy should keep pace with the times. Combined with the current development situation of our country and based on the long- term development of China's international trade in the future, the import and export trade strategy should be re-planned. At present, under the trend of global economic integration, while strictly requiring import and export products, some products with low added value and low market demand should be eliminated, and high-pollution projects and products and their additional products should be strictly resisted, and trade projects related to technology and services should be strengthened to lay a certain foundation for the smooth implementation of ecological trade. Constantly do a good job in capital introduction, develop more high-tech industries, and build core industries belonging to China. Always adhere to the principle of environmental protection as the first priority, and introduce more raw materials and capital. In China, we should also vigorously support the environmental protection industry and invest a certain amount of money in this area. At the same time, we should do a good job in training the corresponding talents in environmental protection, strengthen the development of majors related to environmental protection, and constantly improve the professional quality of relevant personnel. Set certain policy support for the introduction of advanced technology, promote relevant personnel of our country to introduce and update technology in time, and provide support for the implementation of ecological international trade strategy. 4.3. Strengthen international cooperation To build a sound ecological development system of international trade and economy, it is not enough to rely solely on the strength of one country, and all countries need to participate together. Therefore, all countries should strengthen communication and cooperation to constantly promote the ecological development of international trade and economy. At present, countless leaders of NGOs, think tanks and sub-sectors are seeking new optimization measures to deal with international trade under the trend of ecologicalization. Combining their previous experience and lessons in formulating ecologicalization strategies, they have formulated relevant proposals and submitted them to this comprehensive trade rule, which should be actively studied and applied by trade rule makers. At the same time, some non- governmental organizations in the world can also play a certain role, forming a framework system in which various forces coexist, so as to better realize the optimization of China's international trade ecological strategy. Meanwhile, the international trade ecological development system can also provide some guidance for China and promote the development of China's international trade and ecological environment protection. 4.4. Strengthen the R&D and use of low- carbon technologies Under the guidance of ecological strategy, international trade should pay attention to the development of low-carbon economy, and the development of low-carbon economy needs to be based on technological innovation. Compared with developed countries, China is still lagging behind in the research and development and use of low-carbon technologies. Therefore, while introducing international advanced technologies, we should also do a good job in independent research and development and innovation of low-carbon technologies. Relevant state departments should increase support for technological innovation, provide sufficient financial funds for research and development of low-carbon technologies, and formulate corresponding reward mechanisms for technological innovation, so as to provide favorable external conditions for research and development of low-carbon technologies. At the same time, the research and development of low-carbon technology depends on the environment of low-carbon economy and low- carbon industry, and the domestic economic structure and development mode should be changed to promote the research and development of low-carbon technology. For example, in some areas, the government has led the establishment and promotion of "low-carbon industry funds", aiming at the direction of carbon-free substitution in the development of low-carbon industries, advocating low- carbon upgrading and high-carbon transformation, in which carbon-free substitution is mainly the use of clean energy such as wind energy and solar energy, low-carbon economy is the upgrading of original materials and equipment, and high- 20 carbon transformation is the realization of energy conservation and emission reduction. 4.5. Strengthen the internal control of environmental costs. In the development of international trade, if we want to promote the sustainable development of international trade economy, we should consider the environmental cost of domestic industry, do a good job in internal control of environmental cost, and provide guarantee for the ecological development of international trade economy. The internal control of environmental cost mainly involves active control and intervention control. Among them, active control means that economic entities can consciously and independently produce and use green products, and reduce the consumption of resources; Control is a compulsory intervention taken by relevant environmental departments after ecological pollution. In order to strengthen the internal control of environmental costs, it is necessary to give full play to the macro-control role of government departments. The government should establish an information sharing system of environmental costs, comprehensively analyze, evaluate and publicize the environmental costs generated in the process of industry production and trade, so that industries and enterprises can better grasp the information of sustainable development, thus effectively making ecological development decisions; At the same time, government departments should improve the mechanism of environmental taxes and fees, and promote the development of green consumption by system, such as collecting additional taxes and consumption taxes on both producers and consumers of polluted products, and setting environmental resource tax, so that the compensation of resources can be included in the collection scope of resource tax. In view of the development of industrial environmental protection, differential taxation can be adopted to lower tax standards for environmental protection industries, thus providing favorable conditions for their efficient development. 5. Concluding Remarks In short, with the deepening of China's opening to the outside world, China's international trade has gradually prospered, but the economic development has also brought some problems, namely, China's environmental pollution. International trade has made great contributions to China's economic development, but the pollution caused by it has become an important research topic of China's environmental protection. At present, China has gradually realized the importance of environmental governance, and put forward a series of protective measures. China's economic development road is transforming into a sustainable green ecological road. References [1] Fan Rong. 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