中美貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)已經(jīng)升級到網(wǎng)絡(luò)領(lǐng)域，對企業(yè)和消費(fèi)者而言，中國的網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)存取控制策略“防火長城”(Great Firewall)，可能會造成雙輸?shù)木置妗?
近日有幾則報(bào)導(dǎo)，包括路透社也指出，中國禁止存取某些網(wǎng)站的策略會對外商造成傷害：
美國駐世界貿(mào)易組織(WTO)大使Michael Punke上周在一封寫給中國相關(guān)人士的信件中提到，一些中國境外的企業(yè)在對中國客戶提供服務(wù)時，正面臨著網(wǎng)站被中國的‘國家級防火墻’封鎖的挑戰(zhàn)。
具體而言，路透社的報(bào)導(dǎo)指出，美國企業(yè)很難透過網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)向中國提供產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)。
在我們過去的報(bào)導(dǎo)中，曾針對中國不一致的貿(mào)易規(guī)則進(jìn)行探討。舉例來說，許多產(chǎn)品在中國組裝，如智能手機(jī)，但由于中國的網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)政策，制造這些產(chǎn)品的人反而無法真正地使用這些產(chǎn)品。
截至目前為止，有關(guān)中國防火墻的辯論都集中在信息自由和言論 自由。然而，許多企業(yè)卻無法冒著失去從這個全球最大消費(fèi)市場賺取營收的機(jī)會。事實(shí)上，《Consumer Reports》日前的報(bào)導(dǎo)也指出，網(wǎng)絡(luò)上的消費(fèi)電子產(chǎn)品銷售額正在快速成長：
在《Consumer Reports》所做的年度電子購買調(diào)查中，所有的網(wǎng)絡(luò)購物銷售額都比過去大幅成長。有34%的受訪者會在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上購買電子產(chǎn)品，這幾乎是5年前的2倍。
根據(jù)該調(diào)查，消費(fèi)者愈來愈習(xí)慣在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上舒適地購物，購買物品甚至包括了像電視這類大型物品。
由于中國幅員遼闊，偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)甚多，因此網(wǎng)絡(luò)購物也是許多消費(fèi)者的重要采購工具。據(jù)統(tǒng)計(jì)，中國目前有4.5億的網(wǎng)絡(luò)使用者，但當(dāng)?shù)卣畤?yán)格控制網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)的存取活動。
許多零組件和部件都運(yùn)往中國進(jìn)行產(chǎn)品組裝。而最終的成品會再出口以進(jìn)行最終組裝或分銷。但中國自訂的政策，可能會讓消費(fèi)者無法購買這些商品。當(dāng)然，這些在中國進(jìn)行半組裝或全組裝的商品中，有許多會內(nèi)銷在當(dāng)?shù)厥袌鲣N售。然而，也有許多會被運(yùn)往其它國家。
中國的國家防火墻不僅傷害了外商投資企業(yè)。最終也可能會限制它自己的市場發(fā)展。
編譯： Joy Teng
參考英文原文： Businesses Lose to China's 'Great Firewall'，by Barbara Jorgensen, EBN Community Editor
本文授權(quán)編譯自EBN Online，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
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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.
