Does Digital Services Trade Openness Promote the Low-Carbon Transition in Manufacturing?

Against the backdrop of deeper integration between advanced manufacturing and modern services, this study examines how digital services trade openness affects the low-carbon transition of manufacturing. Using panel data for 19 manufacturing industries across 51 countries from 2014 to 2022, we find that digital services trade openness significantly reduces manufacturing carbon emission intensity. Heterogeneity analysis shows that this effect is more pronounced in countries with higher levels of economic development and greater economic servitization, as well as in non-pollution-intensive industries and those occupying lower positions in global value chains. Mechanism analyses provide empirical evidence consistent with the potential roles of input servitization and digital technology spillovers. Moreover, the extended analysis reveals that a sound institutional environment and well-developed digital infrastructure strengthen the emission-reduction effect, highlighting the importance of combining external openness with domestic institutional conditions and digital infrastructure.