["Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nEnvironmental provisions have become important to Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) and are key in promoting high‐quality trade. Using matched data from China Industrial Enterprise Database and China Customs Database, this study explores the non‐linear impact of the depth of RTA environmental provisions on agri‐food export quality upgrading and its mechanisms. Results show a significant ‘U‐shaped’ effect; beyond a 0.48 depth threshold, environmental provisions exert a sustained positive impact on agri‐food export quality upgrading. Heterogeneity analysis reveals divergent effects across national, firm, product quality and specific provision dimensions, with the ‘Balance between environment and trade/investment’ clause being the dominant influencing factor. We further reveal that cost constraints and innovation compensation effects are the key drivers behind the nonlinear impact. Therefore, this study benchmarks against high‐standard international trade rules and proposes policy recommendations for achieving high‐quality agricultural development.\n"]