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Please Pass the Catch-up The Relative Performance of Chinese and Foreign Firms in Chinese Exports

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  • Bruce Blonigen
  • Alyson Ma

Abstract

Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) account for well over half of all Chinese exports and this share continues to grow. While the substantial presence of FIEs has contributed greatly to the recent export-led growth of China, an important objective of the Chinese government is to ultimately obtain foreign technologies and develop their own technological capabilities domestically. This paper uses detailed data on Chinese exports by sector and type of enterprise to examine the extent to which domestic enterprises are "keeping up" or even "catching up" to FIEs in the volume, composition and quality of their exports. We also use a newly-created dataset on Chinese policies encouraging or restricting FIEs across sectors to examine the extent to which such policies can affect the evolving composition of Chinese exports.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruce Blonigen & Alyson Ma, 2007. "Please Pass the Catch-up The Relative Performance of Chinese and Foreign Firms in Chinese Exports," NBER Working Papers 13376, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13376
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jarreau, Joachim & Poncet, Sandra, 2012. "Export sophistication and economic growth: Evidence from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 281-292.
    2. Sandra Poncet & Felipe Starosta, 2013. "Export upgrading and growth in China: the prerequisite of domestic embeddedness," PSE - G-MOND WORKING PAPERS halshs-00960684, HAL.
    3. Poncet, Sandra & Starosta de Waldemar, Felipe, 2013. "Export Upgrading and Growth: The Prerequisite of Domestic Embeddedness," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 104-118.
    4. Florian Mayneris & Sandra Poncet, 2010. "Export Performance of China's Domestic Firms: the Role of Foreign Export Spillovers," Working Papers 2010-32, CEPII research center.
    5. Chen, Zhao & Poncet, Sandra & Xiong, Ruixiang, 2017. "Inter-industry relatedness and industrial-policy efficiency: Evidence from China’s export processing zones," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 809-826.
    6. World Bank Group, 2017. "Investment Policy and Promotion Diagnostics and Tools," World Bank Publications - Reports 28281, The World Bank Group.
    7. Sandra Poncet & Meina Xu, 2018. "Quality screening and trade intermediaries: Evidence from China," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 223-256, February.
    8. Tang, Yingkai & Zhang, Kevin H., 2016. "Absorptive capacity and benefits from FDI: Evidence from Chinese manufactured exports," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 423-429.
    9. Ivan Roberts & Anthony Rush, 2010. "Sources of Chinese Demand for Resource Commodities," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp2010-08, Reserve Bank of Australia.
    10. Sheng, Liugang & Yang, Dennis Tao, 2016. "Expanding export variety: The role of institutional reforms in developing countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 45-58.
    11. Chen, Zhihong & Ge, Ying & Lai, Huiwen, 2011. "Foreign Direct Investment and Wage Inequality: Evidence from China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1322-1332, August.
    12. Bas, Maria & Causa, Orsetta, 2013. "Trade and product market policies in upstream sectors and productivity in downstream sectors: Firm-level evidence from China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 843-862.
    13. Theodore H. Moran, 2014. "Foreign Investment and Supply Chains in Emerging Markets: Recurring Problems and Demonstrated Solutions," Working Paper Series WP14-12, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    14. Yang, Chih-Hai & Tsou, Meng-Wen, 2015. "Multinational exposure, export variety and price: Evidence from Chinese electronics exporters," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 93-110.
    15. José de Sousa & Laura Hering & Sandra Poncet, 2015. "Has trade openness reduced pollution in China?," Working Papers 2015-11, CEPII research center.
    16. Limão, Nuno & Handley, Kyle, 2013. "Policy Uncertainty, Trade and Welfare: Theory and Evidence for China and the U.S," CEPR Discussion Papers 9615, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    17. Loren Brandt & Kevin Lim, 2020. "Accounting for Chinese Exports," Working Papers tecipa-680, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    18. Matteo Bugamelli & Silvia Fabiani & Enrico Sette, 2015. "The Age of the Dragon: The Effect of Imports from China on Firm‐Level Prices," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(6), pages 1091-1118, September.
    19. Theodore H. Moran, 2015. "The Role of Industrial Policy as a Development Tool: New Evidence from the Globalization of Trade-and-Investment," Policy Papers 71, Center for Global Development.
    20. Farrukh Nawaz Kayani, 2017. "A Comparative Study Upon Chinese And Turkish Inward Foreign Direct Investment," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 5(1), pages 69-77.
    21. Mitsuo Inada, 2013. "The Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Industrial Growth: Evidence from a Regulation Change in China," KIER Working Papers 856, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    22. Roberts, Ivan & Rush, Anthony, 2012. "Understanding China's demand for resource imports," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 566-579.
    23. Sheng, Liugang & Yang, Dennis T., 2011. "Speeding Up the Product Cycle: The Role of Host Country Reforms," IZA Discussion Papers 6054, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    24. Li, Zhiyuan, 2013. "Task offshoring and organizational form: Theory and evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 358-380.
    25. Zhang, Hongyong & Zhu, Lianming, 2017. "Markups and exporting behavior of foreign affiliates," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 445-455.

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    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality

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