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Trade policy and industrial policy in China: What motivates public authorities to apply restrictions on exports?

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  • Gourdon, Julien
  • Monjon, Stéphanie
  • Poncet, Sandra

Abstract

This paper investigates the motives behind China's fiscal policy targeting exports. It relies on detailed data at the product level over the period 2002–2012. We analyze two major export fiscal instruments: export tax and export VAT rebate. Our results suggest that while pursuing many objectives simultaneously, Chinese policy used the two instruments in a complementary way with the aim of achieving their industrial policy and strategic objectives. Some are officially stated objectives such as promoting technology or environmental protection, while others do not appear in official documents, such as subsidizing downstream sectors. We also observed that China managed these instruments dynamically to address temporary shocks, for example to temper rising food price or to support strategic sectors sensitive to price competitiveness in the middle of the financial crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Gourdon, Julien & Monjon, Stéphanie & Poncet, Sandra, 2016. "Trade policy and industrial policy in China: What motivates public authorities to apply restrictions on exports?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 105-120.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:40:y:2016:i:c:p:105-120
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2016.06.004
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Isabel-Maria Bodas Freitas & Jojo Jacob & Lili Wang & Zibiao Li, 2023. "Energy use and exporting: an analysis of Chinese firms," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 179-207, January.
    2. Wang Zhenhua & Zhang Guangsheng, 2016. "Industrial policy, production efficiency improvement and the Chinese county economic growth," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 34(2), pages 505-528.
    3. Yue Lin, 2018. "Post-crisis China impact on trade integration and manufacturing competitiveness between Argentina and Brazil," Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 147-170, April.
    4. Julien Gourdon & Laura Hering & Stéphanie Monjon & Sandra Poncet, 2019. "Trade policy repercussions: the role of local product space -Evidence from China," Working Papers hal-02065779, HAL.
    5. Julien Gourdon & Laura Hering & Stéphanie Monjon & Sandra Poncet, 2022. "Estimating the Repercussions from China’s Export VAT Rebate Policy," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) hal-03274542, HAL.
    6. Sun, Churen & Wu, Han, 2023. "The impact of export VAT rebate on firm-product markups: Evidence from Chinese industrial enterprises," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    7. Mario Cimoli & Jose Antonio Ocampo & Gabriel Porcile & Nunzia Saporito, 2020. "Choosing sides in the trilemma: international financial cycles and structural change in developing economies," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(7), pages 740-761, October.
    8. Garred, Jason, 2018. "The persistence of trade policy in China after WTO accession," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 130-142.
    9. Julien Gourdon & Laura Hering & Stéphanie Monjon & Sandra Poncet, 2022. "Estimating the repercussions from China's export value‐added tax rebate policy," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 124(1), pages 243-277, January.
    10. Baoqing Tang & Bo Gao & Jing Ma, 2021. "The impact of export VAT rebates on firm productivity: Evidence from China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(10), pages 2798-2820, October.
    11. Bo Gao & Jing Ma & Zheng Wang, 2021. "The employment and wage effects of export VAT rebates: evidence from China," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 157(2), pages 347-373, May.
    12. Huasheng Song & Guili Sun, 2022. "Investment Promotion, Tax Competition, and Industrial Land Price in China—Evidence from the Corporate Tax Collection Reform," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, May.
    13. Xu, Zhiwei & Wen, Qiang & Zhang, Teng, 2023. "Trade policy and air pollution: Evidence from the adjustment of the export tax rebate in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    14. Bond, Eric W. & Duan, Yuwan & Ji, Ting & Lu, Yi, 2023. "Trade and welfare effects of export tax: Theory and evidence from China's incomplete export VAT rebate," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 542-560.
    15. Braakmann, Nils & Gao, Bo & Maioli, Sara, 2020. "VAT rebates as trade policy: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    16. Zhu, Xuehong & Li, Xinyuan & Zhang, Hongwei & Huang, Jianbai, 2019. "International market power analysis of China’s tungsten export market -- from the perspective of tungsten export policies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 643-652.
    17. Hau, Liya & Zhu, Huiming & Yu, Yang & Yu, Dongwei, 2022. "Time-frequency coherence and quantile causality between trade policy uncertainty and rare earth prices: Evidence from China and the US," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trade policy; industrial policy; China; VAT system; export tax;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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