Research Group of china enterprise confederation China Entrepreneurs Association
China's accession to the WTO marks a new stage of China's opening to the outside world, which is the realistic need and inevitable trend of China's integration into economic globalization. China's market will be fully integrated with the international market and participate in international competition and cooperation on a larger scale and in a deeper degree. Participating in global competition is a brand-new test for China enterprises, and China enterprises are facing new opportunities and challenges. In order to give full play to our own advantages and make up for our own shortcomings, we need to know the comparative advantages of China enterprises in international competition as soon as possible, so as to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses, seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and constantly improve the competitive strength of enterprises. Therefore, studying the comparative advantages of China enterprises has become one of the most concerned issues for China enterprises.
First of all, the significance of studying the international comparative advantage of China enterprises.
Joining the WTO is an important strategic move for China to open to the outside world, and it is also a historic opportunity for China to participate in the world economic system. Because there are great differences in resources, culture and history among countries in the world, they are at different stages of economic development and have different comparative advantages, so it is of great significance to study and give play to international comparative advantages:
1, which is beneficial to the resource allocation of Chinese enterprises.
The essence of market economy is profit-seeking economy, and the process of profit-seeking is the process of emphasizing comparative interests. Because under the condition of fully realizing the division of labor and exchange, most economic interests are embodied in comparative interests, and the purpose of seeking benefits is achieved through the realization of comparative interests. Under the condition of planned economy in the past, we emphasized the formation of an independent national economic system, emphasized production and ignored efficiency. Enterprises are also keen on the mode of "big and complete" and "small and complete", regardless of the comparative advantage and the maximization of enterprise interests. Therefore, the problem of repeated construction and production in various regions and enterprises is very serious, and many enterprises expand at a low level, resulting in a great waste of resources. Practice has proved that this model is not conducive to socialized mass production, effective allocation of resources and the essential requirements of market economy.
Judging from the basic requirements of market economy, with the formation and development of socialized mass production, economic division of labor and cooperation have become an inevitable trend, and maximizing economic benefits has become an inevitable choice for enterprises. The all-encompassing national economic system, one-sided pursuit of self-sufficiency and "Everything is Dont Ask For Help" do not meet the basic requirements of the market economy. Because every region and even every country has its own unique resource advantages in economic development, it is not necessary to establish a complete economic system. Similarly, various economic stakeholders often have their own unique characteristics and advantages in their own production and operation, and form their own advantages in specific fields to achieve the lowest cost and efficiency in the process of social division of labor and exchange. Therefore, the essence of market economy is to emphasize the principle of interests, especially the principle of comparative interests, and giving full play to comparative advantages is the only criterion for selecting and effectively allocating resources.
2, is conducive to promoting the export of advantageous industries and products.
Because international division of labor and international trade will bring some comparative benefits. However, China's high import and export tariffs and quotas for many years make the international exchange of China products slow, and tariff restrictions and trade barriers cannot reflect the different comparative advantages of countries. After China's accession to the World Trade Organization, the pace of China's economic integration into the world has been greatly accelerated. Based on the analysis and research of China's products with comparative advantages, this paper puts forward targeted measures, which are beneficial for China enterprises to export products with comparative advantages.
3. It is conducive to the adjustment of China's economic structure and industrial structure.
By analyzing the comparative advantages, we can find out the advantages and problems existing in Chinese enterprises and industries at present, which is conducive to the transfer of production factors to products and industries with comparative advantages, further realize the economies of scale of industries with comparative advantages, and further improve the adjustment of industrial structure and economic benefits of enterprises.
4. It is conducive to promoting inferior industries and enterprises to improve their competitiveness as soon as possible.
With the reduction of tariffs and the elimination of trade barriers, it is possible for China to cooperate with other countries in the world. For the products that do not have comparative advantages in China at present, they will be impacted by foreign products, forcing inferior industries and enterprises to speed up the pace of reform and restructuring and improve their competitiveness as soon as possible. The practice of China's reform and opening up has proved that the more industries and products are opened as soon as possible, the more competitive they can be. Some protective industries are often industries with poor competitiveness. Therefore, strengthening the study of comparative advantage is also of great significance for improving the competitiveness of inferior enterprises in China.
Second, the comparative advantage of China enterprises
Compared with foreign enterprises, although there is still a certain gap in technology and management, China enterprises also have certain comparative advantages in many aspects. It is embodied in the following aspects:
1, labor advantage
Enterprise competition is product competition, in which product price competition is an important aspect. In the price composition of products, labor costs account for a considerable proportion. In terms of labor cost, China enterprises have a strong competitive advantage. China is rich in labor resources, and its labor price is relatively low, which has the advantage of low labor cost. According to relevant data, Chinese mainland's labor cost accounts for only one eighth of that of the United States and China. At present, there are nearly one billion people in rural areas of China. After China's entry into WTO, due to the impact on agriculture, the transfer of rural surplus labor to cities will be greatly accelerated, which will further reduce the cost of urban labor. China enterprises have strong advantages. For labor-intensive enterprises, the cost of products will be further reduced. This trend will enable China to gain greater international comparative advantages in labor-intensive industries such as textiles, clothing and toys.
2. Market advantage
Another important aspect of China's comparative advantage is its market advantage. China, with a population of 6,543.8 billion, is the largest consumer market in the world. China's domestic market has broad prospects and great development potential. Take the home appliance industry as an example. According to the statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2000, the ownership rates of color TV sets, washing machines and refrigerators per 100 households in China rural market were only 48.74%, 28.58% and 12.3 1% respectively. The rural market is far from saturated and has great market potential. China is in the period of comprehensive construction. Projects such as expressways, overpasses, railways, power grids and old city reconstruction have brought huge market demand to related industries and products, especially the construction of the Three Gorges Project and Beijing's successful bid for the Olympic Games, which has made the market space for capital construction and related products bigger. Every year, hundreds of billions of material purchases provide huge market demand for related enterprises in China. These materials and equipment, except for a few that must be imported from industrialized countries, mainly rely on nearby supporting production due to transportation costs and other reasons. The huge market potential, the consumption psychology of China enterprises who are familiar with China's national conditions and understand the domestic market, and the strong affinity of China products in their own countries make China enterprises have strong advantages and competitiveness in the huge market of China.
China products also have considerable advantages in foreign markets. Judging from the demand level of foreign markets, there is a market for high-grade goods, and the market for middle and low-grade goods is wider. Especially in economically backward countries and regions, the demand market for high-end products such as high-end TV, high-end audio and digital cameras is very small, and low-end products are more popular. Even in the most developed United States, a lot of wealth is concentrated in the hands of only a few people. Ordinary people's products are mainly cheap, from alarm clocks, weighing scale and hair dryers in the morning to table lamps, pajamas and slippers at night, almost all of them are inseparable from China products. Even for products like home appliances, Americans don't always want expensive high-end goods. China Household Electrical Appliances Association organized a delegation to inspect the American home appliance market. It is generally felt that household appliances are not the focus and focus of American household consumption, nor are they a sign of family wealth. Ordinary Americans' consumption concept of white goods is practical, convenient and cheap, which is precisely the characteristic of China products. In addition, in Central Asia, South Asia, Africa and other countries, due to the low degree of agricultural modernization, scattered agricultural goods, small transportation volume, short transportation distance and poor access conditions, China products with low prices, economy and practicality are very popular. Therefore, China products also have great advantages in foreign markets.
3. Advantages of international competitiveness
Some large enterprises or enterprise groups, especially some competitive industries and enterprises that opened earlier in China, have accumulated considerable advantages in technology, talents and capital in the long-term market competition. Some enterprises already have considerable scale and strong R&D capability, mastered the key manufacturing technologies of related products, and their brands have gained considerable popularity. Individual enterprises, such as Haier, adhere to the concept of international operation and develop into world-class multinational enterprise groups. With its strength and courage, Haier Group chose highly developed countries such as the United States and Germany as its main goal, set up a manufacturing base in the United States, opened the markets of the United States and Germany, and then took the opportunity to open up the markets of ordinary countries. In the latest statistics of Forbes magazine, Haier Group, the global white goods, ranks sixth in comprehensive strength. At present, Haier has established 12 overseas factories, 56 trade centers, 15 design centers and 53,000 marketing outlets around the world, and its products are sold to more than 60 countries and regions around the world. In 2000, Haier's total sales amounted to 40.6 billion yuan, and its export earned 280 million US dollars. According to the current speed, Haier Group will rank among the top 500 in the world in 2003. ZTE recently provided Yugoslavia with GSM mobile communication equipment with a total value of 225 million US dollars, which achieved a breakthrough in the export of high-tech complete sets of equipment in China.
Through technological innovation, Tianjin Pharmaceutical Company has improved its core competitiveness and achieved strong international competitiveness in the dexamethasone market. In the early 1990s, large multinational companies such as French Russell Company took the low-price strategy to seize the China market with their strong strength, and Tianjin Pharmaceutical Company was forced to stop production. However, they did not lose heart, but summed up their experience and tried their best. After several years of struggle, they plan to implement the development strategy of "high-tech plus economies of scale", adopt more than 20 new processes of/kloc-0, and obtain their own technical patents. Many projects have reached the international and domestic advanced level, and regained the advantages in quality and price, which not only made Russell and the products of American and Italian companies withdraw from the China market, but also occupied 60% of the Asian market. These enterprises already have considerable competitiveness and influence in the international market, and their products have been recognized by the international market and have strong competitiveness.
Even though the overall level of some of our industries is not as good as that of developed countries, the demand in the international market is graded, and any country has strong and weak products and does different things. There is a division of labor in the international industrial structure, and the basis of division of labor is comparative advantage. Even in the most developed countries, it is impossible for all industries to be advanced, and all products have absolute advantages and competitiveness. Chinese enterprises also have certain comparative advantages in some fields. As long as you choose your own market positioning, you will have your own market opportunities. Even in the field of common machine tools, agricultural machinery, construction machinery and other machinery, our products have certain advantages in quality, variety, performance and price, and can compete with similar products abroad. The price of domestic construction machinery is generally lower than that of imported original products. After the localization of imported technology, the market price of mainframe is roughly equivalent to 50%-80% of the imported products of the same model. The price of products designed by our country and basically produced with domestic spare parts is only about 1/4 of that of imported products of the same model.
4. Industry advantages
Generally speaking, China's labor-intensive industries and products, such as textiles and clothing, cultural and educational sporting goods, fur and down products, most textile light industry and some building materials products, some household appliances, some electromechanical products, some chemical products, some steel products, etc., also have strong competitiveness and relative comparative advantages. After China's entry into WTO, labor-intensive and resource-based enterprises have strong comparative advantages in the short term. They can take advantage of the opportunity of canceling quotas and other non-tariff barriers in foreign markets, giving enterprises that produce these products more room for development. Most of these products are not produced or rarely produced in developed countries.
China textile and garment industry is a typical representative of labor-intensive industries, accounting for 8% of China's industrial added value. It is a traditional pillar industry in China, the second largest among 38 industries in China and the largest foreign exchange earning industry in China. China is the largest textile producer in the world, with a total fiber processing capacity of10 million tons. At the same time, it is also the largest textile exporter in the world, accounting for 13% of world textile export trade and 23% of China's total merchandise export. In recent years, China's textile exports have also made great progress in product structure and export added value. After China's textile industry joined the WTO, China has advantages in labor and resources, and a relatively complete processing base, which provides favorable conditions for China to participate in the competition.
China's light industrial products are very popular abroad. In particular, bicycles, toys, pens, stationery, canned goods and other industries with scale and mature technology have strong competitiveness abroad. Washing machines in China account for about 24% of the world's total output, refrigerators account for 16%, and air conditioners account for 30%. Household appliances in China have entered more than 100 countries and regions. Among them, the annual exports to developed countries such as the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany and France have exceeded $6,543.80 billion. China's light motorcycles are not only sold to developing countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and India, but also exported to developed countries such as Germany, the United States and Japan. In Indian, Pakistani, Afghan and other Asian countries, China's light industrial products are very popular with local consumers because of their "low price and good quality". Many products are only half the price of local products and more durable than many local products. With the end of the anti-Taliban war in Afghanistan, the post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan is about to begin. Afghans who have returned to normal life will gradually buy daily necessities, and light industrial products made in China will become their first choice, from color TVs and refrigerators to bicycles and radios to towels and soaps. China products have a market here. Bicycles produced in China are far ahead in cost performance in the world, so bicycles produced in China have become products with considerable comparative advantages in China. In 2000, the output of bicycles in China was 50 million, of which 32.8 million were exported, accounting for 65.6%. The export volume of bicycles produced in China accounts for more than 60% of the global bicycle trade. In Afghanistan and other countries, bicycles are the most suitable and urgently needed consumer goods. As long as they can afford it, bicycles made in China will become their first choice. Bicycle manufacturers in China predict that if the world situation is stable, many bicycle manufacturers can increase their exports by 30% to 40% next year.
5. Advantages of manufacturing industry
The trend of world economic development shows that manufacturing industry is the cornerstone of a country's economic development and the foundation of enhancing national competitiveness. No matter how science and technology develop in the future, manufacturing will always be an important industry in human society. However, in the world of 2 1 century, the manufacturing industry is undergoing a profound strategic reorganization, and a new round of optimal allocation of manufacturing resources is being launched on a global scale. Because China has abundant labor resources, relatively low labor costs and abundant land resources, many multinational companies gradually move their manufacturing bases to China, and China may become the largest manufacturing center in the world in the near future. This has brought considerable comparative advantages to China's manufacturing industry, and it also has a certain foundation.
First, production capacity plays an important role in the world. Since the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, China has established a strong manufacturing system and formed manufacturing bases in many fields. China ranks first in the world in steel, containers, cement, flat glass, television, clocks and watches, and the shipbuilding industry ranks first in the world. China has built a relatively complete and large-scale manufacturing system, with output value, profits and taxes, the number of enterprises, the number of employees and other indicators in the main position.
The second is to master the core technology and key technology of a number of major technical equipment. After technical transformation, introduction and independent development, the gap between China's manufacturing industry and the international advanced level has been greatly shortened, and the overall technical level of products has been greatly improved. More than 80% of the production capacity of basic industries in China is provided by domestic equipment, and almost all agricultural equipment is provided by China. A considerable number of large-scale complete sets of equipment and important mechanical products produced by China for electric power, petrochemical, metallurgy, transportation and other departments have reached the level of foreign countries in the middle and late 1980s.
Third, the degree of openness is relatively high. China's manufacturing industry occupies a leading position in the utilization of foreign capital and foreign trade. In the past 20 years, the growth rate of manufacturing import and export has been higher than that of national export and total import and export. Products from some industries, such as general mechanical and electrical products and daily machinery, occupy a large share in the international market, and manufacturing products have become the pillar products of China's exports.
Fourth, the scale economy level of enterprises has been continuously improved. In particular, China has intensified its restructuring and integration of products that are not internationally competitive. Even in the automobile industry with poor international competitiveness, through merger and reorganization, more than 100 assembly plants have been assembled from the past to the present 13 automobile plants, and more than 100 automobiles have been produced, accounting for 90% of the total output, and three automobile groups with SAIC, FAW and Dongfeng as the core will be further formed, greatly improving the economies of scale and competitiveness of enterprises.
6. Localization advantages
Entering a country's market requires not only product advantages, but also a full understanding of the country's culture and consumption habits. In China market, China enterprises also have considerable comparative advantages. In addition to feeling, enterprises in China know the consumption level, characteristics, purchasing psychology, values and aesthetics of China people best. Some China enterprises put forward the policy of "tailor-made" and "localization of design concept", which is based on our understanding and grasp of our advantages in this respect.
First of all, China enterprises are familiar with the tastes and hobbies of China people. Foreign wine and fast food are all the rage in China, which has a certain impact on Chinese enterprises. However, according to the survey, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and KFC mainly cater to young people and children, not all adults in China like them. However, fast food enterprises in China have gradually gained market advantages through deep reflection and deepening reform. Quanjude Roast Duck, Goubuli Steamed Bun and Lanzhou Lamian Noodles began to occupy a place in the fast food market. Quanjude roast duck has gone abroad and registered or opened branches in more than a dozen countries.
Faced with the impact of foreign brands, Jianlibao, Wahaha, Coconut Tree, Robust, Lulu and other products in the "Top Ten" beverage industry in China have developed their comparative advantages, deeply understood the characteristics of China consumers, competed with foreign products and gradually gained competitive advantages. In particular, our young products "Wahaha" and "Jianlibao" give full play to their comparative advantages and have the courage to compete with similar products of multinational companies. As we all know, the first drink in the world is Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola and its brother Pepsi have been leading the world beverage market for many years, and they also occupy an important position in China market. Compared with them, the strength of enterprises in China is indeed far behind. And our young products "Wahaha" and "Jianlibao" are not afraid of strong players, but dare to play their comparative advantages and compete with them. On the basis of stabilizing lactic acid drinks, purified water and eight-treasure porridge products, Wahaha entered the cola-type carbonated drink "Very Cola" and launched an attack on "Coca Cola" and "Pepsi Cola". In just two years, its products have accounted for 65,438+00% of the national carbonated beverage market. Many provinces have surpassed the share of foreign coke. Jianlibao not only dares to compete with Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola at home, but also dares to enter the United States across the Pacific Ocean, and gradually gain a foothold through the step-by-step strategy and enter the markets of North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe and Southeast Asia. In American supermarkets, Coca-Cola in the United States was forced to cut prices under the competitive pressure of famous brands in China.
Second, China enterprises are familiar with the cultural background of China people. China has a long history and rich cultural connotations, and China culture has penetrated into all aspects of people's lives. China's clothes emphasize simplicity and elegance, advocate nature and harmony, and have styles, shapes and elegant demeanor with China cultural characteristics. It is not only welcomed by Chinese people, but also won the favor of overseas consumers, and presented to the world as a genre in the international clothing market.
China's cosmetics market is quite large, and world-renowned companies such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever come to set up stalls. The standardized management, advanced management methods, global standardized product features and overwhelming advertising promotion of multinational corporations have swept over half of the market share in just a few years. The main products of China people are Rejoice, Pan Ting, Head & Shoulders, Shufujia, Tide and Olay. In order to meet the challenges of multinational companies, shanghai jahwa has given full play to the advantages of enterprises in understanding local culture and local market, aimed at consumers who have long favored traditional products, introduced the therapeutic function of Chinese herbal medicines into cosmetics, and developed Liushen toilet water around its famous brand product Liushen Pill, which has special effects of refreshing the mind, eliminating malnutrition and relieving itching. After the product went on the market, it quickly gained 60% market share, and then launched Six Gods.
Third, China's traditional habits give China's related industries a certain comparative advantage. For example, the Chinese medicine industry has unique advantages in China and the world market. Traditional Chinese medicine in China has a fine tradition of thousands of years. It has become the traditional habit of many people in China to "take Chinese medicine when sick and take China tonic for health care". Although western medicine has the characteristics of accurate diagnosis and rapid curative effect, it is also accepted by many people in China. However, due to the high price of western medicine equipment and western medicine, and the fact that western medicine is mainly a chemical synthetic product, many drug-induced diseases have been caused. Therefore, not only China attaches importance to TCM, but also the United States, which has always discriminated against TCM, is vigorously developing TCM research characterized by natural therapy. Therefore, the Chinese medicine industry based on Chinese medicine has great development prospects.
Fourthly, the characteristics of rural market in China determine the comparative advantages of enterprises in China. There are nearly one billion farmers in China, which is a considerable consumer group. Many enterprises at home and abroad have been optimistic about the rural market in China, and the focus of market development is to start the rural market in China. Compared with foreign companies, we have a better understanding of the characteristics of the rural market in China. Due to the limitation of economic base and educational level, rural areas in China need cheap, durable and easy-to-operate products. There are still many rural areas with unstable voltage, inconvenient transportation and great changes in mountainous terrain. It is not suitable for some imported equipment and household appliances with high precision, multiple functions, complicated operation and stable voltage requirements. China products with simple functions, convenient operation, strong voltage adaptability, easy maintenance and low price are more popular.