The mechanisms of the impact of high-tech product export trade on regional carbon performance

Abstract

Export trade is a driving force of economic development, but it is also an important source of increasing carbon dioxide emissions. Against the background of suggestions of conflicts between economic development and environmental health, the proportion of high-tech products in the export trade of various countries has been rising, leading governments and scholars to focus on identifying the appropriate export structure for countries. While there is some knowledge on how high-tech product exports affect carbon dioxide emissions, the mechanisms involved in that link have not been adequately addressed in previous studies. This study is based on China’s inter-provincial panel data from 2006 to 2017, and uses the fixed effects model stepwise regression method and the bootstrap method to systematically investigate the mediating effects of industrial structure supererogation, low-carbon technological innovation and human capital accumulation, operating in the impact of high-tech product export trade on regional carbon performance. The research results show that high-tech product exports can help improve regional carbon performance. The mediating variables, industrial structure supererogation, low-carbon technological innovation and human capital accumulation, separately have positive and partially mediating effects on the link between high-tech products export trade and regional carbon performance. After considering the alternative indicator of regional carbon performance and the replacement of test method, the results of this study are still robust. The research results are instructive for an understanding of the relationship between high-tech product export trade and regional carbon performance. They highlight the important role of high-tech product exports in improving regional carbon performance, and have significance in promoting China’s green and low-carbon transition.