Evolutions and Trends in the International Trade with High-Tech Products

One of the ways for accessing knowledge and, through it, for competitivity on international level, is the world trade with high-tech (HT) products. European Union and its Member States (Romania inclusive) position on international HT market defines in fact their competitivity in the global economy. Many politics for encourage innovation in a country lead also to stimulate the technological transfer out of that country. Politics that reduce trade barriers and uncertainties in international trade relations have the potential to increase the international technology transfer. The weight of HT products and services in the entire world trade is around of 19-20%, this percentage varying in different studies and statistics due to the products groups considered to be part of this category and to the inclusion of some adjacent services. During 2001-2008, the world HT export value increased in average by 7% per year. The growth rates were fairly high, by one hand, because of the rising of exported/imported products complexity (and of advanced technologies), and by the other hand, due to the evolution of global demand and offer, that influence the prices of these products. The Popular Republic of China was the country that influenced mostly the increase of international trade with HT products. Four economies – China, United States, EU – 27 and Japan – totalize over one half of the world HT exports. USA and EU registered also the most important commercial deficits in the world in this field until 2008. In 2008, USA deficit turns into commercial surplus in HT area because of the decrease of imports following the crisis. As for Romania, the weight of HT products exports and imports in the whole country’s trade differs from about 4%, in exports case, to about 9-10%, in that of imports. Commercial balance in this field was always in the red. During 2001-2008, the greatest weights in the world trade with HT products have had, in order, the groups: electronics – telecommunications, computers - office equipment, scientific instruments and aerospace industry that summarized over 80% from the total. Generally, exports of less sophisticated HT products are dominated by developing countries and other territories because of the production relocation made by great international companies. Instead of it, the maintaining of developed states in top of the leading exporters of sophisticated HT products highlighted that not all the advanced technologies were transferred to developing countries, but, in general, those technologies less complex, which does not require a major investing effort in research and development.