中国“防火长城”成阻碍电子商务贸易元凶？

中美贸易战已经升级到网络领域，对企业和消费者而言，中国的网际网络存取控制策略“防火长城”(Great Firewall)，可能会造成双输的局面。 近日有几则报导，包括路透社也指出，中国禁止存取某些网站的策略会对外商造成伤害： 美国驻世界贸易组织(WTO)大使Michael Punke上周在一封写给中国相关人士的信件中提到，一些中国境外的企业在对中国客户提供服务时，正面临着网站被中国的‘国家级防火墙’封锁的挑战。 具体而言，路透社的报导指出，美国企业很难透过网际网络向中国提供产品和服务。 在我们过去的报导中，曾针对中国不一致的贸易规则进行探讨。举例来说，许多产品在中国组装，如智能手机，但由于中国的网际网络政策，制造这些产品的人反而无法真正地使用这些产品。 截至目前为止，有关中国防火墙的辩论都集中在信息自由和言论 自由。然而，许多企业却无法冒着失去从这个全球最大消费市场赚取营收的机会。事实上，《Consumer Reports》日前的报导也指出，网络上的消费电子产品销售额正在快速成长： 在《Consumer Reports》所做的年度电子购买调查中，所有的网络购物销售额都比过去大幅成长。有34%的受访者会在网络上购买电子产品，这几乎是5年前的2倍。 根据该调查，消费者愈来愈习惯在网络上舒适地购物，购买物品甚至包括了像电视这类大型物品。 由于中国幅员辽阔，偏远地区甚多，因此网络购物也是许多消费者的重要采购工具。据统计，中国目前有4.5亿的网络使用者，但当地政府严格控制网际网络的存取活动。 许多零组件和部件都运往中国进行产品组装。而最终的成品会再出口以进行最终组装或分销。但中国自订的政策，可能会让消费者无法购买这些商品。当然，这些在中国进行半组装或全组装的商品中，有许多会内销在当地市场销售。然而，也有许多会被运往其它国家。 中国的国家防火墙不仅伤害了外商投资企业。最终也可能会限制它自己的市场发展。 编译： Joy Teng 参考英文原文： Businesses Lose to China's 'Great Firewall'，by Barbara Jorgensen, EBN Community Editor 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载

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{pagination} Businesses Lose to China's 'Great Firewall' Barbara Jorgensen The US-China trade war is escalating into cyberspace, and the casualties include both businesses and consumers. Several reports today, including one from Reuters, say that China's policy of blocking access to certain Websites is hurting foreign businesses: The U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Michael Punke, said in a letter to his Chinese counterpart on Monday that some companies based outside China had faced "challenges offering their services to Chinese customers" when their websites were blocked by China's "national firewall." Specifically, the Reuters article said, US businesses were having a hard time offering their products and services to China via the Internet. The inconsistency of China's trade practices has been debated a number of times on EBN. For example, many of the people who assemble products such as smartphones can't fully use them, because of China's Internet access policies. (See: Made in, But Can't Be Used in, China.) Up until now, the China firewall debate has focused more on freedom of information and freedom of speech. But if companies are losing revenue from the world's largest consumer market, the stakes are getting higher. In fact, Consumer Reports reported today that online consumer electronics sales are soaring. According to a press release from the magazine: Online shopping scored higher in almost every respect than did shopping at walk-in stores in Consumer Reports' Annual Electronics Buying Survey. Respondents made 34 percent of electronics purchases online, which is more than double the percentage from just five years ago. "Our survey shows that consumers are getting more and more comfortable making electronics purchases online -- even big-ticket items like TVs," said Paul Reynolds, electronics editor at Consumer Reports. Given China's geographic size and the remoteness of some regions, online purchasing seems like an essential tool for many consumers. China reportedly has 450 million Internet users, but the government exercises tight control over Internet access. Reports say the Chinese government fears sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can incite social instability and threaten national security. In this regard, the government has a point: The Internet has been a key part of the drama that is playing out in the Middle East as dictators are being displaced by citizen uprisings. At the same time, China can learn a lesson from what's going on in the Middle East: No matter how tightly access is controlled, users will find a way to use the Internet. Let's set aside that debate for the time being and focus on the supply chain. Components and subassemblies are shipped into China for products that are assembled there. Finished goods are shipped out for final assembly and distribution. China's own policy may be preventing the purchase of those same goods by Chinese consumers. Granted, many of those goods stay within China's borders for consumption in local markets. But just as many leave the country. China's national firewall isn't just hurting foreign businesses. It's limiting its own market.