What is import and export? International trade and the world market of goods. Exports and imports in the global economy Types of exports and imports of goods

02.11.2021

These two concepts are common for the sphere of international economic relations. However, not all ordinary citizens clearly understand the difference between them.

If the goods are exported from the country

Any country strives to expand its exports. If she sells the goods she needs abroad, she gets the currency. In turn, for the currency, the country purchases the foreign goods it needs. The one who sells goods abroad is called an exporter, and the one who buys them is called an importer.

When exporting goods (services), the exporter is exported abroad, and he is not obliged to return them back. Together with the operations of importing goods, exports form the basis of international trade.

Export can be done through:

Export of products that are manufactured, grown or mined in the territory of the exporter.
Deliveries to another country of semi-finished products or raw materials for processing there.
Export of products received from other countries for sale in third countries.
Provision of production or consumer services to foreign companies
Capital investment in own foreign production.

The legislation of a particular country may also refer to other products that cross the customs border of the exporter as export. Often, goods intended for export to one state are adapted for sale in others or to be sold on the domestic market. Re-export is also used, which involves the import of raw materials or semi-finished products with their subsequent sale without processing in international markets.

Almost two hundred countries are engaged in export. Twelve of them account for about 60 percent of world trade. Of these, Germany, China, the US and Japan export one-third of what these twelve countries sell. The first place in terms of exports is occupied by the European Union.

What is import

Import assumes delivery of goods and services from abroad without obligation to take them back. The difference in the volume of exports and imports shows the balance of the country's foreign trade, and their sum is the turnover of trade. The calculation of imports is done taking into account the cost of goods, freight and insurance costs. Therefore, the value of exports in the world is reduced by the sum of these costs. Foreign suppliers of goods to the country provide their high quality and the price is lower than that of local manufacturers. They usually import products that are not available in the importer's home market.

Various import schemes are used, including searching around the world for promising products for import and sale, foreign suppliers offering the lowest prices. Today, schemes of import operations with the participation of a local distributor and a manufacturer abroad are widespread, when the goods are purchased without intermediaries directly from the manufacturer.

Usually the state seeks to regulate imports. For this, quotas, duties, minimum import prices, technical obstacles, import taxes, etc. are used. This is usually done to create preferences for domestic producers and replenish the budget. Such a policy is called protectionist. With liberal politics, restrictions are minimal.

How exports and imports are regulated

In each state and at the international level, exports and imports are regulated. In most countries, this is done by the government and the ministry of trade or foreign trade. They are governed by special legislation. Companies that export their products have special foreign trade divisions. Financing of foreign trade operations is usually carried out by specialized banks.

The functions of regulating international trade relations in 1995 were assigned to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which is a UN agency. It declares the principle of free exchange of goods and services in the world, which helps to ensure the development of the economy and the growth of people's well-being. It includes more than one and a half hundred states, which together have 95% of the turnover of goods and services in the world.

Its task is to eliminate restrictions and obstacles in trade relations between countries. It is guided by the general agreements signed by all member states on trade in goods and services and intellectual property rights.

For this WTO:

Analyzes compliance with the requirements of its policy documents of the members of the organization.
Considers disputes between states in terms of their foreign trade policy.
Organizes interaction with other international bodies.
Provides assistance to countries whose economies are developing.

What is the difference

Export is the activity aimed at exporting goods and services produced in it abroad by the exporting country. Such activity is stimulated by the state.

Import means the legal importation of goods from abroad. Often, states, in the interests of their companies, impose restrictions on imports.

Gone are the days when countries could live without exports and imports of goods and services. And now no one is forcibly forcing anyone to open their countries for goods from other countries, as was the case in the 18th-19th centuries, when European countries forced China, Japan and Korea to open their markets by force. These Asian countries, having seen what imports and exports are "European-style", forbade European merchant ships to enter their ports. But the trade wars continue. On the one hand, countries are trying to close their markets to protect local producers, and on the other hand, they are trying to get the most favorable treatment for their exporters.

What is import and export

Since ancient times, world trade has been tied to waterways. They tried to send the main flows from country to country by ship, the only transport that existed at that time that could carry a lot of goods. This is how the concept of "export" appeared, which comes from the Latin word exporto, which literally means "to take goods out of the port." For the concept of import, they also used the Latin word importo, which means "import".

Now everything that is sold from one country to other countries is called export, and everything that is purchased from other countries is called import. Of course, since the time when ships carried spices from India or Inca gold to Europe, the idea of \u200b\u200bwhat imports and exports have changed a lot. Now not only goods are the subject of international trade, but also services and capital.

Goods first, then the rest

Goods still remain the majority of world trade. More than $16 trillion worth of goods are shipped from one country to another every year. Most of all, information and communication technology products are bought, followed by fuel, food and agricultural raw materials. Fuel accounts for the largest share in the structure of world exports. The top exporters are China, the US and Germany, while the US and China have swapped places in the top three importers. These countries trade mainly in high value-added products - machinery, capital goods, equipment, consumer goods. The US is also the largest exporter of agricultural products.

In addition, there are regional specializations. Developing countries export minerals, agricultural raw materials, chemical and light industry products, that is, those that require large labor costs or are characterized by harmful conditions. East and Southeast Asia is known as the global consumer electronics manufacturing center, while Europe is known for luxury goods.

Sell money too

Capital knows no boundaries, since ancient times it has moved from country to country in order to obtain a higher rate of return. The main exporters are developed countries - the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland - and international financial institutions (the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and others). The export of capital is carried out in the form of direct and portfolio investments, loans and any financial instruments for which you need to pay in foreign currency. For example, China and Russia are the largest buyers of US Treasury bills, which is an example of the export of government capital. Most of the operations for the export and import of capital account for financial services, telecommunications, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and energy.

Service for sale

The fastest growing and knowledge-intensive sector of the economy - services, produces about 65 percent of the world's gross domestic product. The growth rates of exports and imports of services are growing much faster than trade in goods. The volume of world trade in services has reached $5 trillion. Until recently, tourism, transport, hotel, insurance and financial services occupied the first positions in international trade in services.

In recent decades, communication and information have taken the first place and a significant share in trade in services - more than 45 percent in both imports and exports. So far, the tourism industry holds the second place in terms of export-import volumes. The largest exporting countries of services are the USA, Great Britain and China, importers are the USA, China and Germany.

We help you buy and sell

The glorious ancient times are long gone, when in order to sell a product to another country, only courage and business acumen were needed. Now it is a whole industry for providing 20 trillion of world trade in goods and services. This service industry probably knows best what imports and exports are.

Export-import services include: marketing, transport services, insurance and financing, customs clearance, legal support. For the import of products, except for those requiring special permits or licenses, it is required to fill out from 2 documents, as in the USA, to 13, as in Uzbekistan. For export in developed countries, 2 documents are required, and in the Central African Republic - 17.

Top 10 in global trade

With the deepening of the global division of labor, international trade is playing an increasingly important role. Who trades better, he lives better. The top 10 countries in terms of exports and imports differ slightly. The list of the world's largest exporters includes Hong Kong and Italy, which took the place of Canada and India, which were among the largest importers.

The top 10 largest exporters and importers are 4 Asian, 5 European countries and the US, and they sell over 40 percent and buy about 60 percent of all goods and services in the world.

Who is almost absent in world trade

In addition to Tuvalu and Nauru, known to all Russians, which recognized the independence of Abkhazia and North Ossetia, there are several more of the same island countries that actually live by subsistence farming and almost do not know what import and export are. Exports of such countries range from 60 thousand to 1 million dollars, imports - less than 20 million US dollars. And there is one unique state in the world - Tokelau, which in some years does not sell anything to the outside world at all.

The country is part of the kingdom of New Zealand and lives off fishing and money sent by relatives from abroad. A significant part of the income comes from aid from New Zealand. But, surprisingly, Tokelau is no stranger to high technology. It is the only country in the world that has completely switched to solar energy.

What does Russia trade

Russia has the richest mineral resources in the world and actively trades them on the world market. In the world ranking of international trade, Russia's exports and imports rank 15th and 16th in the world, respectively. The largest export items are oil and oil products, natural gas, metallurgical products, chemical products, timber, engineering products, weapons and wheat. Hydrocarbons account for about 63 percent in the structure of exports.

Russia ranks second in arms sales and third in grain supplies. Most of all, the country buys machinery and equipment - about 51 percent of the country's imports, and 11 percent are cars. The structure of Russia's imports and exports is gradually changing, new large export items appear, for example, wheat, liquefied gas, at the same time, it was possible to almost completely abandon the purchase of pork and poultry meat, grains.

International trade is characterized by its conduct in 2 directions. One is import and the other is export. It is represented by the export of national goods from the country. In the same way, the implementation of services can be carried out. Exported goods are exported to other countries. For more information about what import and export are, see the article.

Import and export of products

Exported goods are represented by a group of products of national manufacture, intended for sale in foreign markets. The opposite direction is to import foreign goods and services into the country. Imports are represented by products intended for sale on the national market.

It is produced taking into account the peculiarities of the tastes of the inhabitants of the country for which it is intended. Also, its production is based on strict adherence to international standards.

To understand what import and export are, it is enough to pay attention to foreign goods on store shelves. They usually stand out against the background of domestic products both in appearance and cost. The higher price, in comparison with the products of national production, is associated with the cost of transportation and payment of taxes.

Import and export indicate the level of economic development of the country

The arrangement of exports and imports is an indicator of the country's economic development. These characteristics determine its position in the division of labor in the international format.

Very often it turns out that exports exceed imports. There is also the opposite situation. The size of imports and exports directly depends on the value of all manufactured and purchased goods. Therefore, what are imports and exports, if not a very clear indicator of the country's economic success?

For a state that exports more than it imports, it is characteristic of an active (positive) balance. And if imports exceed exports, then this indicator is passive (negative).

What goods are involved in international trade

Export and import of goods is represented by different products and services. These concepts are to some extent characteristic of each country. By the direction of imports, one can judge the advantages over other states. The structure of exports at the same time testifies to the peculiarities of the manufacture of goods.

For a country, exports and imports are often characterized by the predominance of industrial products, among which engineering products stand out significantly. Goods exported from developed countries are characterized by science intensity and technological complexity. Their imports are dominated by oil, industrial raw materials, and natural gas.

These countries have established imports of those types of finished products, the production of which they prefer to avoid due to environmental damage. The types of such products include washing powders, medicines, pesticides, paints.

The exports of developing countries are mainly represented by food products, as well as raw materials. If the state's economy is very poorly developed, then only 1-2 goods are exported. At the same time, export is called monoculture. But the imports of developing countries are represented by equipment, cars, high-quality shoes and clothing, sophisticated household appliances, and good food.

International organizations

International trade is the most striking manifestation of the economic part of globalization. Every year there is an increase in the turnover of foreign sales and the acquisition of various goods. To expand the possibilities for the exchange of goods between countries, as well as to simplify the transactions, international organizations and unions are being created. Among the largest of them are the following:

World Trade Organization (World Trade Organization);
Customs Union;
European Union (European Union);
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

When such organizations are created, the process of exchanging goods and services between states is greatly simplified.

International trade for Russia

Russia is not a member of only one of the organizations listed above. But this does not in the least reduce the number of trade turnovers and operations that are carried out between the Russian Federation and the states that are in the European Union. Most (half) of Russian turnover is accounted for by the EU countries. And every year there is a strengthening of this direction.

What are imports and exports, as factors that do not require special control? For this, in order to simplify the process of exchanging goods between Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, the Customs Union was created. It is supported by a large number of signed agreements aimed at the exchange of services and products.

The following goods are mainly imported to Russia:

cars;
cars;
vehicles;
car equipment.

In the structure of imports, these goods account for 47%. Then comes the products of the chemical industry. Its share in the value of imports is 15%. The third significant group of goods is represented by food. It also accounts for 15%. International trade, in particular, the export and import of Russia, is now being improved and supported in every possible way.

Foreign trade development trend for Russia

The structure of exports and imports involves expanding the range of products. At the same time, sales markets need reorientation. The excess of foreign trade, as well as the inflow of foreign currency from abroad, is provided by the sale of hydrocarbons.

Developed and emerging markets, which include the economies of countries such as China, Japan, Brazil, the United States, should show an increase in demand for energy resources. At the same time, the Russian economy is characterized by the presence of a large number of competitive industries. Now they have untapped potential. The strength of the Russian economy in the future lies in using the opportunities of unused industries.

Thus, imports, exports, services are an indicator of the level of development of the country. And attention to them is due to the desire to raise the level of the state in the international format.

Abroad, and importing them into the country for use and consumption.

IMPORTER - a legal or natural person who imports goods from abroad. Those. an organization that imports goods or receives services from abroad. The term I. can also be applied to the state into which goods are imported by way of import, or to an organization that imports goods or receives services from abroad.

The importer can be:

individual entrepreneurs
enterprises, organizations, corporations (legal entities)

In the analysis of world trade in goods, works, services, the concept of a country is used - a net importer and a net exporter. A net importer country is characterized by a significant excess of imports over exports.

Notes

Peculiarities of exports and imports, or what is a "balance"?

All countries without exception act as importers. In some states, imports prevail over exports, and in some - on the contrary. The calculation of imports and exports is carried out by summing up all goods exported abroad and imported into the country. The difference between the amounts received in economic science is denoted by the concept of "balance".

To find out whether a country has a positive (active) or negative (passive) balance of foreign trade, it is necessary to subtract the sum of the prices of imported goods from the sum of the prices of exported goods. If more is exported from the country than it is imported, then the balance will be active or positive, if more is imported, then the balance of foreign trade will be passive and the difference obtained in the calculations will be negative.

Developed and developing countries

In the exports of developed countries, a large part is occupied by the manufacturing industry and its products. These are mainly various equipment and machines. Their foreign trade is usually focused on the same economically developed countries, which are united by a high level of division of labor and a narrow specialization of employees. According to the UN, developed countries include Canada, the USA, Japan, European countries, New Zealand and Australia.

In the structure of exports of developing countries, tropical agriculture and extractive industries predominate. A high percentage of raw materials in the structure of exports hinders the development of the state's economy, as it makes it dependent on prices in the world market, which are not constant. According to the UN, developing countries include Russia, China, other countries of the Middle East (Iran, Kuwait and others).

To date, there is no single generally accepted classification of countries according to the type of developed and developing (less developed) economy.

What is import and export? International trade and the world market of goods. Exports and imports in the global economy Types of exports and imports of goods

If the goods are exported from the country

What is import

How exports and imports are regulated

What is the difference

What is import and export

Goods first, then the rest

Sell money too

Service for sale

We help you buy and sell

Top 10 in global trade

Who is almost absent in world trade

What does Russia trade

Import and export of products

Import and export indicate the level of economic development of the country

What goods are involved in international trade

International organizations

International trade for Russia

Foreign trade development trend for Russia

Notes

see also

See what "Importer" is in other dictionaries:

Books

Peculiarities of exports and imports, or what is a "balance"?

Developed and developing countries

Report a typo

Text to be sent to our editors:

Your comment (optional):

If the goods are exported from the country

What is import

How exports and imports are regulated

What is the difference

What is import and export

Goods first, then the rest

Sell ​​money too

Service for sale

We help you buy and sell

Top 10 in global trade

Who is almost absent in world trade

What does Russia trade

Import and export of products

Import and export indicate the level of economic development of the country

What goods are involved in international trade

International organizations

International trade for Russia

Foreign trade development trend for Russia

Notes

see also

See what "Importer" is in other dictionaries:

Books

Peculiarities of exports and imports, or what is a "balance"?

Developed and developing countries

Report a typo

Text to be sent to our editors:

Your comment (optional):

Sell money too