Study On The Effect Of Cross-border Data Flow Restriction On Digital Service Export Trade

In the face of repeated outbreaks of COVID-19 and rising trade protectionism,international trade has been severely impacted.Therefore,it has become a global consensus to give full play to the multiplier role of digital technology in economic and trade development.Digital trade is the crystallization of the deep integration of digital technology and international trade.The importance and urgency for countries to work together to promote the development of digital trade has become more and more prominent.However,in the process of digital globalization,different types of economies are clearly differentiated.Countries formulate policies to restrict cross-border data flow in line with their own interests based on the stance of safeguarding national rights and interests.A series of problems such as digital trade gap and unsound digital trade rules need to be solved urgently.In this context,this paper takes restriction of cross-border data flow,a new hidden non-tariff digital trade barrier,as the research starting point,and discusses its impact on digital service trade.First of all,this paper focuses on the digital trade and cross-border data flow restrictions at home and abroad literature review.Then,it emphatically analyzes the current development status of digital service trade,cross-border flow of data and its governance status,and points out the opportunities and challenges faced by China’s digital service trade in combination with the development trend of digital trade under the background of the current digital economy era.Secondly,from the trade cost,information network environment two channels to sort out the impact mechanism.Thirdly,on the basis of current situation and mechanism analysis,the digital service export trade data of 38 countries from 2009 to 2018 are selected for empirical test.Empirical test shows that the deeper a country’s involvement in the free flow of crossborder data is,the greater the obstacle effect on the export of digital service sector.The heterogeneity analysis shows that the restriction of cross-border data flow is more obvious in developing countries.Moreover,the inhibitory effect on the export trade of service sector with high data intensity is more obvious.Mechanism test shows that the restriction of cross-border data flow significantly increases the export trade cost of digital service sector.Moreover,it is not conducive to the improvement of the information network environment.Restrictions on cross-border data flow can significantly hinder the export of digital services by weakening a country’s ICT development level.At present,no unified institutional framework and governance system has been established for the regulation of cross-border data flow.How to provide a reasonable,fair and transparent management mechanism for cross-border data flow and make data flow and information sharing better serve the world economic development remains an important issue in future international trade negotiations.Finally,according to the conclusions of this paper,three policy suggestions are put forward: play the role of government system construction,improve the ability of digital technology innovation,and establish international digital governance rules.