East Asian Trade Flows of Cultural Goods: A Gravity Model Approach

With the market evaluation of economic globalization exchanges between differentcultures, cultural trade has been developing at an accelerated speed, and alsoplaying an important role in East Asian intra-regional trade. In this researchthe author used gravity trade model to explain the causal relationship betweendependent variable trade flows and several independent variables applying withfive categories cultural goods which classified in HS codes. Firstly for culturalheritage trade flow, the results indicated that economic masses of bilateral countrieshave no significant influences on it; GDP per capita of host country andadjacency factor with partner country have significant negative influences onit; Internet coverage ratio has improved cultural heritages exchanges in EastAsian regions. Secondly for printed matter cultural goods trade flow, the distancefactor has significant negative influence but common language has significantpositive influence on it. Thirdly for recorded media cultural goods, only economicmasses and GDP per capita of bilateral countries can improved their trade flows. Fourthly for visual arts cultural products trade flows, almost all variables wetested have significant influences on it. Fifthly for cinema photography culturalgoods trade flow, the influenced factor are same with cultural heritage productsexcept they have strong positive interaction relationship with economic massesand common language. At last, the paper figured out some important and potentialsectors for cultural goods trade in East Asia and gave some suggestions togovernment and cultural goods product enterprises.