LAUSR

Abstract Knowledge about environmental load displacement and its effects of China’s trade with the Belt and road (BR) countries will help develop coordinating policies to jointly promote green development in the regions. This paper presents an empirical study on embodied air pollution displacement of China-BR trade by employing a multi-region input-output model. Embodied air pollution trade and its transfer pattern, as well as the driving force for changes in China’s trade embodied air pollution intensity, are investigated. We found that, in the period of analysis, embodied air pollution displacement between China and the BR countries was aggravated and China was in embodied air pollution trade surplus. Most net transfer mainly came from its energy importers with better air quality and higher Human Development Index. This indicated that the net embodied air pollution transfer from the BR countries to China would not bring significant environmental and sustainability impacts on those suppliers. However, embodied air pollution flowed from the BR countries to China decreased the overall environmental performance and efficiency. Decomposition analysis showed technology effect served the main force driving force for the drops in China’s trade embodied air pollution intensity. The findings are beneficial for policymakers of the BR countries to take measures to promote their sustainable development.