EXPLORING THE STRATEGIES, BARRIERS, AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING TRADE IN CHINA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64451/ijees.v1i4.9.2025Keywords:
Industrial manufacturing trade, Digitalization, Sustainable trade management, Global value chain, ChinaAbstract
This paper carefully analyzes the strategies, challenges, and management practices influencing industrial manufacturing trade in China, with a specific focus on the impact of trade policy stability, digitalization, and sustainability-oriented governance. Utilizing a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) informed by the PRISMA 2020 paradigm, this study amalgamates peer-reviewed empirical and theoretical literature published from 2021 to 2025 and cataloged in the Scopus database. The results show that institutional stability and trade policy certainty are key factors that promote industrial growth. This growth is mostly caused by new firms entering the market, not by existing firms becoming more productive. Digitalization is a game-changer that lowers transaction costs, makes it easier for companies to work together throughout the world, and encourages new technologies and environmentally friendly upgrades. However, these advantages are not fairly spread out among companies and areas, which often makes structural and environmental differences worse. The analysis also points out that there are still problems with sustainable trade management, such as indirect carbon emissions, moving resources to less developed areas, uneven trade barriers, and a lack of clear governance. The study shows that trade liberalization and digital transformation have made China's manufacturing more competitive, but for these changes to last, they need to be part of a larger policy framework that connects technological innovation with environmental control and regional coordination. The paper provides a comprehensive conceptual framework that guides managerial decision-making and policy formulation for sustainable industrial trade management in China.
References
Chen, J., Feng, G., & Zhou, J. (2023). Analyzing the carbon emission effect and systematic emission reduction mechanism of the Sino-USA manufacturing trade. 344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118681
Cheng, C., Han, Y., & Ren, X. (2023). Analysis of technological innovation on provincial green development levels of logistics industry in China. 30(18), 53020–53036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26054-w
Das, S. S., Jena, S., Nandini, G., Patjoshi, P. K., & Nayak, B. B. (2025). Optimizing Apparel Production: A Case Study on Implementing a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for Improved Efficiency and Quality. In P. B. Bobba (Ed.), AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 3157, Issue 1). American Institute of Physics. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0261540
Fan, Y., Yan, X., Cui, L., Zhang, L., & Wang, J. (2023). Carbon pricing, carbon equity, and the RCEP framework. China Economic Review, 80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2023.102017
Hou, J., Yue, Y., Wang, Y., & Ye, J. (2023). Decarbonization without borders: Evidence from China. 892. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164653
Iacovone, L. (2012). The better you are the stronger it makes you: Evidence on the asymmetric impact of liberalization. Journal of Development Economics, 99(2), 474–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.06.001
Kumari, S., & Sudha, S. (2025). AI-Enabled International Business: A Comprehensive Analysis of Recent Trends and Challenges. In Transforming Business Education through Artificial Intelligence (pp. 321–341). Apple Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781998511471-16
Li, Q., Wu, S., Fang, J., Liu, Q., & Li, S. (2026). Structural changes and trend evolution of China’s integration into global value chains under heterogeneous trade modes. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 76, 139–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2025.12.004
Li, R., & Song, G.-Y. (2025). Digital Commerce as a Catalyst for Ecological Transformation: Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector. Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083600
Li, Y., Rengifo, E. W., & Chang, Z. (2025). Can digital transformation enhance firms’ export technological sophistication? Evidence from China. Applied Economics Letters. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2024.2449549
Lin, B., & Zhao, H. (2024). Asymmetric trade barriers and CO2 emissions in carbon-intensive industry. 349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119547
Liu, S., Liu, Y., Yang, J., & Liang, P. (2025). Digital trade liberalization and quality upgrading: evidence from Chinese intermediate imports. 57(29), 4144–4157. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2024.2348184
Ma, Y., Meng, J., & Wu, Q. (2026). Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of environmental sustainability in China: A strong sustainability assessment integrating planetary boundaries and environmental footprints. Journal of Cleaner Production, 538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.147372
Niu, Q., Shao, Z., & Wu, W. (2025). The effect of software registration on manufacturing export. 57(30), 4362–4378. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2024.2359094
Niu, X., Liu, J., Zhao, Y., Wu, X., & Guo, M. (2025). Social-Hydrological Dynamics along the Yellow River Belt: A Temporal-Spatial Investigation of Regional Groundwater Use in a Source-to-Sink Manner. 75(8), 2031–2045. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-025-02148-8
Peng, X., Chen, H., Long, R., Zhong, H., Zhang, C., Yang, G., Hong, J., Qi, X., Sun, Q., Ma, W., Wang, S., Duan, C., Wei, P., Peng, Y., & Chen, J. (2023). Determinants of the embodied CO2 transfers through electricity trade within China. 344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118540
Qi, L., Yang, L., & Ta, M. (2025). The impact of digital economy on regional resource allocation efficiency: an analysis based on resource flow speed and direction. Finance Research Letters, 82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107644
Sarpong, K. A., Xu, W., Gyamfi, B. A., & Ofori, E. K. (2023). A step towards carbon neutrality in E7: The role of environmental taxes, structural change, and green energy. 337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117556
Shen, Z., Zhao, Y., Güneri, F., Yang, Y., Wang, S., & Deng, H. (2023). Does the rise of China promote the sustainable development of OECD countries? A geopolitical perspective. 85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103896
Shu, P., & Steinwender, C. (2019). The impact of trade liberalization on firm productivity and innovation. Innovation Policy and the Economy, 19(1), 39–68. https://doi.org/10.1086/699932
Sun, S., & Cheng, Z. (2024). How Does Manufacturing Servitization Reduce Carbon Emissions? – Evidence From China. 18(11), 1189–1199. https://doi.org/10.24507/icicel.18.11.1189
Tabuchi, T., Wang, C., & Zhu, X. (2024). A footloose capital model of economic development. 32(5), 2344–2370. https://doi.org/10.1111/roie.12775
Wang, Z., You, J., Li, T., & Zhang, Y. (2025). The era of digital trade: Exploring new mechanisms and threshold effects for green upgrading of manufacturing companies. 373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123433
Wei, W., & Xu, J. (2025). Can technological progress abate the negative impact of low carbon policies on economic growth in China? Applied Economics, 57(42), 6714–6733. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2024.2386851
Wen, H., Zhong, Q., & Lee, C.-C. (2022). Digitalization, competition strategy and corporate innovation: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing listed companies. International Review of Financial Analysis, 82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102166
Yang, J. (2023). A study of the economic growth effects of market integration: An examination of 27 cities in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster. 18(11 November). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287970
Yuan, W., & Ouyang, D. (2025a). Industrial development and trade policy uncertainty: Evidence from China’s WTO accession. Journal of International Economics, 157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2025.104106
Yuan, W., & Ouyang, D. (2025b). Industrial development and trade policy uncertainty: Evidence from China’s WTO accession. 157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2025.104106
Zhao, J., Pang, Y., & Gao, W. (2025). A Research on the Sustainable Impact of FTA Strategy on the Global Value Chain Embedding of Listed Enterprises in China. 17(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115092
Zhao, Z., Wen, L., Li, K., Kong, X., & Zhang, X. (2026). Environmental risk and burden inequality intensified by changes in cultivated land patterns. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108604
Zheng, M. (2023). Factor Substitution, Technological Progress, and the Dynamic Evolution of Chinese Manufacturing’s Comparative Advantages. In Chinas Qualitative Economic Transformation (pp. 61–86). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4437-6_3
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zhang Xiangrui, I Nyoman Nugraha (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
