Does corporate ESG performance promote export resilience? New insights from risk resistance and resilience

World economic uncertainty adds to the external risks of enterprises, and export resilience directly impacts enterprises' ability to withstand external risks. This paper examines the effect of ESG performance on export risk resilience using a sample of Chinese-listed A-shares from 2008 to 2021. We found that good ESG performance promotes corporate export resilience as evidenced by an increase in export resistance and resilience, a finding that still holds after robustness tests. Mechanism tests reveal that ESG performance can positively promote export resilience by strengthening corporate reputation and alleviating financing constraints. Firms' digital transformation has a moderating influence, and the higher its degree, the greater the positive effect of ESG performance on export resilience. T Heterogeneity tests show that the effect of firms' ESG performance on export resilience is more pronounced among non-state, growth, and mature firms. The above study is innovative in corporate ESG practice, and the findings offer a reference for corporates to participate in ESG practice and enhance export risk resistance.