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博士论文摘要 Abstract of PhD Dissertation

A Research On the Mechanism of the Agricultural Globalization in China

Ph D Candidate: Shuai Chuanmin

Supervisor: Professor Zhang Jinlong

ABSTRACT

Economic globalization is the mainstream of the world economy, the development of which will inevitably bring about the globalization of agriculture. In the beginning of the 21st century, agriculture in China after the accession to the WTO faces with severe challenges and important development opportunities. Therefore, the study on the mechanism of agricultural globalization seems to be particularly important. This dissertation, under the guidance of the disciplines of international economics, industrial economics, management sciences, statistics and game theory etc, explores the governing laws of agricultural globalization and the outward-looking agriculture. By adopting the international comparative methodology, it analyzes thoroughly the status quo of the agricultural globalization development in China, and the difficulties and risks it is faced with. Using the internationally accepted research methodologies (RCA and CMS models), qualitative and quantitative studies have been made on the comparative advantages and the international competitiveness of the agriculture in China, providing the theoretic basis for China’s strategic readjustment of agricultural patterns after its accession to WTO. And related policy recommendations are therefore put forward for the reference of the relevant Chinese authorities. The main contents of this thesis are as follows:

    On the basis of outlining the international economic theories such as international trade, international investment, international transfer of technology and movement of labor, the theory on international values as well as the general laws governing the export-oriented economy at large, it explores the laws governing the development of agricultural globalization and outward-looking agriculture: the systematic and original generalization of the development modes, the definition and the characteristics of agricultural globalization and outward-looking agriculture as well as the relationships between agri-globalization, agri-industrialization and agri-modernization; and the establishment of an agricultural globalization index and indicating system.

    The paper reviews systematically the present situation of the agricultural globalization in China, the basic principles of WTO and the main ideas of the WTO agreements on agriculture, as well as the major promises that China had made before it entered WTO. In-depth analyses and studies have been made on the opportunities and challenges, difficulties and obstacles that China’s agricultural globalization is confronted with after its accession to WTO using the international comparison methodology, which provides theoretic basis for policy makers to adopt relevant countermeasures to speed up the process of the globalization of agriculture in China. The study shows that the difficulties and obstacles that China’s agri-globalization is confronted with are as follows: scarce natural resources, insufficient investment, relatively underdeveloped science and technology, ultra small scale micro operational entity, slow rural urbanization, low level of farmers’ organization, weak foundation of agricultural product trade and the lack of a unified and high efficient macro agricultural management system of the government.

  On the basis of analyzing the experiences and lessons in foreign countries during their development processes of agricultural globalization, analyses and researches have been carried out, based on the game theory etc, on the risk factors such as food security and farmers’ employment that would be caused by the agricultural globalization in China. Relevant policy suggestions have been put forward as well. The results show that agri-globalization will not threaten China’s food security, and on the contrary, it will be beneficial to the strategic readjustment of the agricultural patterns; agri-globalization will have serious adverse effects on farmers’ employment, but at the same time, it will create a rare opportunity for institutional innovation of the existing farmers employment system. The study on the risk of the international grain embargo adopting the typical game theory is of an innovative feature.

  By adopting the RCA (Revealed Comparative Advantage) and CMS (Constant Market Share) approaches, qualitative and quantitative studies have been conducted on the comparative advantages and international competitiveness of the agriculture in China. The research shows that the overall international competitiveness of China’s farm products is on the decline; the absolute increase of export has concealed this trend. Except rice, the international comparative advantages for land-intensive farm products have basically lost. However, the labor-intensive farm produces such as meats and processed vegetable products have strong international competitiveness. The unsatisfactory structure of farm products for export, excessive proportion of primary farm products and high concentration of a few markets are the main factors restricting the international competitiveness of the agri-products in China. In terms of research methodologies, it has introduced, for the first time, the internationally accepted CMS model into China, which is a contribution to the agricultural international trade study circles in the country.

Based on this research, a basic framework of development models has been built for the agri-globalization in China, and policy implications are put forward on speeding up the globalization of agriculture and enhancing the international competitiveness of China’s agriculture. These recommendations include: carrying out comparative advantage strategies to readjust the structure of the agricultural production and product patterns; promoting the agro-products processing industry; increasing the farmers’ self-organization; fostering the market stakeholders of agriculture in China; pressing the agricultural institutional innovation to carry out agricultural operations at proper scale; speeding up the processes of urbanization and farmers’ citizenization to transfer the surplus labor forces in the rural areas in China as soon as possible; increasing agricultural input to change the present condition of “primary feeding” into “regurgitation feeding” for agriculture; facilitating the transformation of science and technology into direct productivity; as well as actively pushing the reforms of China’s macro management administration for agriculture in the wake of the general trend for the worldwide economic development. 

 Key Words: agricultural globalization, mechanisms, RCA, CMS model and international competitiveness