Abstract:In this paper, learning from foreign scholars who derived trade cost measurement method from the modified gravity model, we use the latest database to make a measurement of bilateral services trade cost between China and OECD countries from 2000 to 2016. The results show that China’s foreign services trade cost substantially decline. But before 2007, trend was very obvious. But after 2007, there was almost no change. It even rose a little in 2008 and 2009. Furthermore, this paper also makes a group study on the distance characteristics and income characteristics of each trading partner country. It finds that the farther the distance, the lower the income, the higher the services trade cost between the country and China. At the same time, the elasticity of substitution has no effect on the trend of the cost of bilateral trade in services. Through the decomposition of trade growth model, we find that the growth in services output and the decline in bilateral services trade cost are the main driving forces of services trade growth between China and OECD countries. Income similarity has a certain impact on the growth of bilateral trade in services, while the effect of multilateral resistance is not obvious. This paper provides empirical support and policy recommendations for China to reduce the cost of trade in services and promote the liberalization of trade in services.