The Global Economic Crisis and China's Foreign Trade

Two noted academic specialists on China's economic geography are joined by a research assistant to examine the impact of the current global economic crisis and recession on China's trade with the rest of the world. Relying on statistics collected by the country's customs administration through the first half of 2009, the authors identify and analyze trends in China's imports and exports (detailing countries of origin and destination) as well as balance of trade. They also develop and present an input-output model in order to gain a more precise understanding of the country's trade dependence (both before and during the crisis) than afforded by analyses based on conventional statistics, and explore some of the implications of the decline in trade on levels of domestic unemployment.     

International Trade Fairs and Global Buzz,Part I: Ecology of Global Buzz

This paper investigates the importance of temporary face-to-face (F2F) contact and the physical co-presence of global communities in establishing a particular information and communication ecology during international trade fairs, referred to as “global buzz”. International trade fairs bring together agents from all over the world and create temporary spaces for presentation and interaction. Within a specific institutional setting, participants not only acquire knowledge through F2F communication with other agents, but also obtain information by observing and systematically monitoring other participants. The fact that firms do not necessarily have to be in direct contact with a specific source of information to get access to this knowledge makes participation in these events extremely valuable. International trade fairs have become important expressions of new geographies of circulation through which knowledge is created and exchanged at a distance. This paper analyses the constituting components of global buzz and aims to dismantle the complexity of this phenomenon in a multi-dimensional way. When applying this concept to Internet trade fairs, the question arises whether a similar information and communication ecology, or virtual buzz, can be established. We explore similarities and differences between both forms of buzz, using the same classification scheme.     

International Trade Fairs and Global Buzz. Part II: Practices of Global Buzz

International trade fairs bring together agents from all over the world for a limited time period. They create a dense ecology of communication and information flows, referred to as “global buzz”. Global buzz associated with face-to-face (F2F) communication is extremely important for agents participating in these events as it generates access to developments occurring in different parts of the world. It helps to maintain and intensify existing networks, establish new networks or “trans-local pipelines” and support the development of shared attitudes and understandings. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence about the significance of global buzz in its manifold forms. Our research emphasizes the benefits that result from four sets of closely interrelated practices: (i) global knowledge exchange based on F2F interaction, (ii) exploration of market trends, (iii) problem solving and idea generation and (iv) network generation and pipeline-building in interpretative communities. The paper argues that practices of acquiring information, networking and dealing with competition differ substantially according to industry, firm and product characteristics. Our analysis of global buzz practices draws from more than 460 semi-structured interviews, which were conducted between 2004 and 2006 at seven national and international trade fairs in Frankfurt/Main, Hannover and Nürnberg, Germany.     

17世纪初全球贸易在东亚海域的形成与发展

17世纪初,世界贸易形势发生了巨大变化,东来的欧洲殖民者为贩运中国的生丝和丝织品,在东亚海域展开了激烈的商业竞争,于是在东亚海域形成了全球贸易。而此时正值明朝政府在福建漳州月港开放海禁,准许私人出洋贸易,因此大量的中国海商涌向海外,在与欧洲殖民者激烈的商业竞争中,他们以敏锐的商业头脑和强烈的竞争意识取得了成功,使世界各地的白银源源不断地流入中国,使中国成为当时东亚海域的贸易中心。     

Trade Policy

Daniel Verdier. Democracy and International Trade: Britain, France, and the United States. 1860–1990
Judith Goldstein. Ideas, Interests, and American Trade Policy
Alfred E. Eckes, Jr. Opening America's Market: U.S. Foreign Trade Policy since 1776     

世界地质公园 雄伟瑰丽的地球“历史书”

如果要为46亿岁的地球去写一本传记,除了查找各方资料,我们该怎样去寻访它的见证人呢?上世纪60年代开始,经过地质学家的不断努力,他们找到了散落于岁月长河中的一些历史证这些"当事人",地质学家得以窥见地球青年时期的故事,可以说,是一段沧海桑田的传奇。