Study on the Impact of Regional Trade Agreements on the Ternary Margins of Wood Forest Product Exports

Based on global bilateral six-digit HS code trade data of wood forest products from 2000 to 2022, we constructed a three-dimensional panel dataset combining year, importing country, and exporting country, and used a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model to systematically examine the impact of regional trade agreements (RTAs) on the export of wood forest products and the mechanisms through which they operate. The results show that the signing of RTAs exerts a significant promoting effect on the export market share, extensive margin, and quantity margin of wood forest products, while exerting a significant negative effect on the price margin. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of signing RTAs on the ternary margin of wood forest product exports varies significantly with product characteristics, bilateral distance, and the type of trade agreement. Mechanism analysis shows that RTAs produce these effects by reducing bilateral trade costs and strengthening bilateral social ties. Accordingly, this paper proposes policy recommendations to strengthen the RTA network, optimize the bilateral trade environment, and enhance the depth of environmental provisions in RTAs to promote the green and high-quality development of wood forest products.