Research On The Impact Of Logistics Performance Of RCEP Member Countries On China’s Fresh Cut Flower Export Trade

The current imbalance and inequity in international economic and trade relations have led to a surge of anti-globalization thinking,and multilateralism is facing multiple challenges.Under the coexistence of rising global trade frictions and uncertainties in the external environment,the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP)agreement has opened a new door for deepening cooperation among countries.The signing of the RCEP agreement also creates new opportunities for the export of Chinese cut flowers,which has a large market space and a rising share in the international market in recent years.Fresh cut flowers are an advantageous product for China’s foreign exports,but due to its own product attributes in the international trade has high requirements for logistics,due to the differences in logistics levels among RCEP member countries,especially the emergence of the new crown epidemic has brought a great impact on the logistics system,making the poor operation of regional logistics intensify,which seriously restricts the sustainable development of China’s fresh cut flower export trade,and also to the RCEP It also poses a serious test for the high-level implementation of the RCEP agreement and the promotion of international trade activities of the countries in the region.Therefore,this paper is an in-depth discussion of the impact of logistics performance of RCEP member countries on China’s fresh-cut flower export trade,aiming to provide new ideas for expanding China’s fresh-cut flower export trade from the perspective of logistics.This paper firstly discusses the mechanism of logistics performance affecting international trade from three perspectives: the new trade theory,the circulation cost theory and the regional economic integration theory,and compares the studies of domestic and foreign scholars from four aspects,laying the foundation for the qualitative and quantitative analysis later.Secondly,the paper uses the logistics performance index and its six sub-indicators as research points to compare and analyse the logistics performance levels of RCEP member countries,followed by a description of the current situation of China’s fresh cut flower export trade to RCEP member countries.Finally,an extended gravity model is used to analyse the impact of the logistics performance of RCEP member countries on China’s fresh-cut flower export trade.The following conclusions are drawn:(1)The RCEP region as a whole has a high degree of logistics development and its logistics performance scores are better than the international average.(2)There are still large differences in logistics performance among RCEP member countries,but the differences between regions are gradually decreasing.(3)Among the RCEP member countries,the overall development of logistics in countries not adjacent to China is higher.(4)The economic and trade relations between China and RCEP member countries are very close,and the overall export value of fresh cut flowers from China to RCEP member countries is on the rise.(5)The logistics performance of RCEP member countries shows an obvious positive relationship with China’s fresh-cut flower export trade,and the six sub-indicators of logistics performance have different degrees of effect on China’s fresh-cut flower export trade.Among these factors,the quality of logistics infrastructure played the most important role in promoting the export trade of fresh-cut flowers,while the ability to track and trace goods and the timeliness of logistics transportation were the next most influential.(6)When the study sample was divided into different economic levels,it was found that the impact of logistics performance on China’s export trade was heterogeneous across countries of different economic levels,with the impact of logistics performance on China’s fresh-cut flower export trade being more significant in developing countries.Based on these results and in relation to the future outlook after the signing of the RCEP agreement,the following recommendations are made: firstly,improve logistics infrastructure and upgrade logistics levels;secondly,strengthen information technology to build a collaborative tracking system;and thirdly,optimise the logistics transport structure to ensure smooth logistics flow throughout the whole process.