The difference between protectionism and liberalism in shipping policy

the protectionism and liberalism in the shipping policy you mentioned are actually the sub-concepts of economic protectionism and economic liberalism, mainly focusing on transportation. It is the expression of protectionism and liberalism in commodity circulation.

Economic protectionism is actually a proposition and policy of

restricting imports in foreign trade to protect domestic goods from competition from foreign goods in the domestic market, and offering various preferential policies to domestic goods to enhance their international competitiveness. In terms of restricting imports, tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers are mainly adopted. The former mainly prevents a large number of imports of foreign goods by imposing high import tariffs; The latter includes a series of non-tariff measures such as import license system and import quota system to restrict the free import of foreign goods. These measures are also an important means for economically underdeveloped countries to protect their national industries and develop their national economy. For developed countries, it is an important tool to adjust the balance of payments and correct the trade deficit.

The academic origin of economic liberalism

is Smith's economic laissez-faire, and modern (economic) liberalism, also known as neo-liberalism, is represented by Hayek. This school believes that the market is the most important or even the only force for rational allocation of economic resources, so it extremely believes in free market economy and opposes any form of state intervention in economic activities.

In addition, neoliberalism in a broad sense includes monetarism, while neoliberalism in a narrow sense only includes Hayek's neoliberalism theory and West Germany's neoliberalism theory.

the slogan of this liberalism is "free enterprise".

supporting a laissez-faire capitalist system means removing legal barriers, such as trade barriers and monopoly and subsidy privileges imposed by the government.

Economic liberalism hopes that the government will control the economy as little as possible, or there is no control at all. Some economic liberals will accept the government's restrictions on monopoly and oligopoly, but some of them think that monopoly and oligopoly are caused by government intervention. Economic liberals advocate that the value of products and services should be freely chosen by individuals, that is, the power of the market. Some people agree that the government can play a monopoly role in some areas, such as policing and court services. Economic liberalism accepts that economic inequality caused by unequal bargaining status is the result of natural competition-as long as it does not involve the use of coercion. This form of liberalism was especially influenced by British liberalism in the 19th century. Small government and anarchic capitalism are both forms of economic liberalism.

Economic liberals advocate limiting the role of the government.

Some of them think that there is no function that the government can operate at all, while others think that the government should be limited to providing justice, public security and national defense to resist foreign invasion (small government).

in the period of free competition capitalism, capitalist countries that developed later often pursued trade protectionist policies. Developed countries advocate free trade, and trade protectionism is only used as a temporary measure to deal with the crisis. At the stage of monopoly, the trade protectionism pursued by monopoly capitalist countries is not only a means to resist the import of foreign goods, but also a means to expand abroad and compete for the world market.

trade protectionism has the following characteristics: ① the main means of protection is changed from tariff to non-tariff measures. A series of resolutions formed in international trade and tariff negotiations have greatly reduced the overall level of tariffs, so countries have turned to non-tariff measures to implement protectionist policies. These measures are flexible, subtle and restrictive, and more than half of the total world trade is subject to various non-tariff restrictions. (2) the protection policy is more and more targeted to products, such as reducing and lowering the restrictions on industrial products, but the protection of agricultural products is rarely loose, and the restrictions on different commodities in industrial products are also very different. (3) the distinction between countries and regions targeted by the protection policy has been strengthened. Generally speaking, a country always strengthens its protectionist policy against its direct and strong competitors, while relaxing it appropriately for other countries. Most countries in the world adopt free trade and protectionist policies according to their own national conditions and competitors' conditions, with a view to protecting the sustainable development of their own economies and enhancing their competitiveness in the international arena.