The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the 17th of which is “Partnerships for the goals,” namely: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

Under this major goal, there are 19 targets, the 17.11 of which is “Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020.”

●Current Situation

The World

Developing countries face risks and opportunities as their export share rises

The value of global trade (in U.S. dollars). Graph: World Bank

According to the World Trade Report 2024, as more developing economies reformed at home and tapped into external demand for goods and services, their share in global trade increased sharply.

The share of trade between developing economies in world trade almost quadrupled, increasing from 5 percent in 1995 to 19 percent in 2021. However, the convergence process has slowed since the global financial crisis, as the average share of trade in GDP of low- and middle-income economies has remained relatively constant. Economic convergence even went into reverse during the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit growth in poorer economies hardest.

Empirical evidence finds that unilateral trade reforms in developing economies have, on average, boosted economic growth by 1 to 1.5 percentage points, potentially resulting in 10 to 20 percent higher incomes over a decade. Climate change is already harming economic growth prospects in the most vulnerable economies, including LDCs, small-island developing states, and landlocked developing economies, which have the fewest resources to recover from natural disasters and whose populations are especially exposed to changing rainfall patterns. Meanwhile, automation and digitalization in manufacturing is eroding opportunities for the traditional manufacturing-led economic growth and employment model.

Improving access for low-income economies to markets in both high-income and emerging economies, including by addressing tariff escalation on processed goods and trade distorting subsidies, can also support economic growth in a world where an increasing share of trade is among developing economies. However, trade barriers arising from inadequate domestic infrastructure or institutional challenges also need to be addressed.

The predictable access to open global markets underpinned by the multilateral trading system has enabled some developing economies to catch up with more advanced economies.

Source: World Bank, World Trade Organization

China

China’s export market share rises

China's Exports (in U.S. dollars). Graph: Tradingeconomics.com, General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China

In the first three quarters of 2024, China’s exports amounted to 18.62 trillion yuan, increasing by 62%. The export product structure was optimized, and the export of high-end equipment increased by more than 40%. The exports of mechanical and electrical products amounted to 11.03 trillion yuan, up 8%, accounting for 59.3% of the total export value. Among them, the export of high-end equipment increased by 43.4%, and the export of integrated circuits, automobiles, and household appliances increased by 22%, 22.5%, and 15.5% respectively. In addition, the export of traditional labor-intensive products was 3.13 trillion yuan, up 2.8%. The exports to traditional markets such as Europe, the United States, and Japan increased by 4.2%, and the exports to emerging markets such as ASEAN and Latin America increased by 12.3% and 13.7% respectively.

China is accelerating the development of new quality productive forces, and the trend of high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing is very obvious. From the perspective of green transition, China’s new energy industry has effectively connected with the global green development trend, and the export of wind turbines and electric vehicles has increased by 73.9% and 22% respectively. In the first 10 months of 2024, China’s high-end equipment exports increased by more than 40%.

The BRICS cooperation mechanism is an important platform for emerging market countries and developing countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and safeguard common interests. On January 1, 2024, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia officially became members of the BRICS, and the number of BRICS member countries increased to 10. After the expansion, the BRICS countries account for more than one-fifth of the global trade, and their total population is close to 3.68 billion, accounting for about half of the world’s total population, and their international influence will be further expanded. In the first three quarters, China’s imports and exports to other BRICS countries amounted to 4.62 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.1%.

Source: State Council Information Office

●Cases

The World

Government of India improves exports

The Government of India has implemented several measures to improve exports and trade performance, like rolling out the New Foreign Trade Policy 2023-28. It has also launched initiatives like the Common Digital Platform for issuing certificates of origin and the Districts as Export Hubs program, which aims to pinpoint products with export potential in each district. These efforts, along with Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti programs and Make in India, support India’s global trade standing and fuel economic growth by increasing exports overall.

India’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 has been launched to promote exports and facilitate ease of doing business for exporters, while also placing a stronger emphasis on the “export control” regime. The policy is built on the principles of trust and partnership with exporters and is based on four pillars: Incentive to Remission, Export Promotion through Collaboration, Ease of Doing Business, and Emerging Areas. The policy is based on the continuity of time-tested schemes while being responsive to the emerging needs of the time.

The FTP 2023 introduces several new schemes, such as one time Amnesty Scheme for exporters to close old pending authorizations and start afresh. It also encourages the recognition of new towns through the Towns of Export Excellence Scheme and the recognition of exporters through the Status Holder Scheme. The policy also streamlines the popular Advance Authorization and EPCG schemes and enables merchanting trade from India.

Source: Forbes India

Kerchanshe Coffee’s mechanization reform

Photo: Kerchanshe Coffee

Since Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, with rich, diverse varieties that have shaped global coffee culture. Traditionally, Ethiopian coffee farming has been labor-intensive and small-scale, primarily involving smallholder farmers. While this approach has preserved unique flavors and quality, it limits the scale of production, particularly compared to countries like Brazil, where large-scale, mechanized commercial farming has dominated. Recognizing this gap, Kerchanshe Coffee has taken a bold step toward mechanized farming—a shift that could revolutionize Ethiopia’s coffee industry.

Kerchanshe’s use of mechanization on Debeka Farm and Gelana Gesha Farm introduces new efficiencies, increasing yield per hectare, enhancing processing speed, and improving consistency. This commercial approach not only allows Ethiopia to meet growing international demand but also inspires other stakeholders in Ethiopia’s coffee sector to consider similar investments. Mechanized farming can streamline production processes, making Ethiopia more competitive globally and potentially stabilizing coffee prices by improving supply consistency.

Source: LinkedIn

China

Digital China and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand sign MOU

Photo: Digital China

On March 20, 2024, Digital China held its first Bangkok Summit. At the summit, Digital China and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation, announcing that they had reached a consensus on cooperation in the fields of digital economy development, cloud computing, digital infrastructure construction, big data centers, and digital talent training, and would work together to promote the development of cutting-edge digital technologies such as artificial intelligence in Thailand.

This summit focused on the pain points and needs of the implementation of generative AI in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Digital China also officially released its self-developed one-stop enterprise large model integration and operation platform - Smart Vision (international version), and worked with its affiliate, GoPomelo, to bring a series of AI products and solutions to start the “Digital Thailand” empowerment journey.

Source: Digital China

The world’s first ultra-large modular data center built by CIMC put into operation

Photo: CIMC Group

In November 2024, the world’s first ultra-large modular data center, the Malaysia 2312 Data Center Project, officially entered the operation stage in Johor, Malaysia. The project was undertaken by Shenzhen CIMC Construction Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “CIMC Construction”), a subsidiary of CIMC Building Technology Co., Ltd. under CIMC Group. As a landmark data center in Malaysia, the project integrates functions such as big data processing, computing power support, cloud computing services and high-efficiency information management, providing strong infrastructure support for data processing business, greatly improving the secure storage and efficient processing capabilities of data.

In order to cope with the growing demand for computing power, the CIMC Construction team fully considered the flexibility of future expansion. The modular design allows the data center to be replicated and expanded according to specific customer requirements. In addition, the highly prefabricated nature of modular buildings incorporates the concept of green energy conservation and sustainable development throughout the entire construction process, leading the future direction of global green buildings.

CIMC Construction has laid large and reliable shared data processing infrastructure in Southeast Asia, which will meet the data processing needs of the neighboring markets in the next five to 10 years.

Source: CIMC Group

●Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiated by the United Nations

On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change while ensuring that no one is left behind.