The Role of Trade Intermediaries in International Trade

¹YU Miaojie:Liaoning University

²XIE Enze,National School of Development,Peking University

Abstract：

Trade is not always completed by direct interaction between productive firms and final demand, trade intermediaries play an indispensable role in international trade. To have a deeper understanding of the role and impact of trade intermediaries in international trade, this research systematically reviewed important literature on trade intermediaries and the firm's export modes, and clarified the definition, classification, basic characteristics and identifying methods of trade intermediaries in empirical research. This paper summarizes the impact of trade intermediaries on both firms and the macroeconomy, and detect the factors that determine the choice of firm's export mode.For future research,attention must be paid to the impact of indirect imports on firms and the macroeconomy, the reasons for the continuous decline in the proportion of indirect exports in China, the impact of non-tariff barriers on firm's export mode and the role of trade intermediaries in helping firms cope with non-tariff barrier.

Keywords：trade intermediary; export mode; direct export; indirect export;