IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0312748.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The status of China’s international division of labour from Marx’s theory of international value

Author

Listed:
  • Hui Ouyang
  • Huaibing Chen
  • Johnny Fat Iam Lam
  • Xianke Li

Abstract

Based on Marx’s theory of international value, this paper analyzes the carrier of unequal exchange and the path of international transfer of surplus value, constructs an international division of labour status index by comprehensively observing the organic composition of capital in the export and import sectors, and tries to accurately grasp the characteristics of the current international division of labour pattern coexisting between horizontal products and vertical products. At the same time, based on the data of all available HS92 six-digit code categories in various countries in the world from 1993 to 2016, the level of international division of labour in China is empirically analysed. The results show that: (1) there is no breakthrough in the situation of China’s low status of international division of labour; (2) the high capital-organic composition of the import sector is the main reason for the low status of international division of labour; (3) the continuous decline in the absolute value of captured surplus is a global phenomenon; (4) WTO accession has not significantly improved the status of international division of labour. Finally, the idea of improving the status of international division of labour through the development of domestic regional cooperation is put forward.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui Ouyang & Huaibing Chen & Johnny Fat Iam Lam & Xianke Li, 2025. "The status of China’s international division of labour from Marx’s theory of international value," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0312748
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312748
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0312748
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0312748&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0312748?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ricardo Hausmann & Jason Hwang & Dani Rodrik, 2007. "What you export matters," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Rotta, Tomás N. & Kumar, Rishabh, 2024. "Was Marx right? Development and exploitation in 43 countries, 2000–2014," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 213-223.
    3. Dai, Yixin & Hu, Yuanhong & Tian, Chuanpeng & Jiang, Min, 2024. "China's biased technological progress, labor market allocation and the change of trade division structure," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 1417-1430.
    4. Mani, Sunil, 2000. "Exports of High Technology Products from Developing Countries: Is it Real or a Statistical Artifact?," UNU-INTECH Discussion Paper Series 2000-01, United Nations University - INTECH.
    5. Lorenzo Caliendo & Maximiliano Dvorkin & Fernando Parro, 2019. "Trade and Labor Market Dynamics: General Equilibrium Analysis of the China Trade Shock," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 87(3), pages 741-835, May.
    6. Hummels, David & Ishii, Jun & Yi, Kei-Mu, 2001. "The nature and growth of vertical specialization in world trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 75-96, June.
    7. Xianke Li & Chongyan Li, 2024. "Interaction Effect of Export Trade, Foreign Direct Investment and Technological Independent Innovation in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Dieter Ernst & Linsu Kim, 2002. "Global Production Networks, Information Technology and Knowledge Diffusion," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 147-153.
    9. Ernst, Dieter & Kim, Linsu, 2002. "Global production networks, knowledge diffusion, and local capability formation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1417-1429, December.
    10. Johnson, Robert C. & Noguera, Guillermo, 2012. "Accounting for intermediates: Production sharing and trade in value added," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(2), pages 224-236.
    11. Gereffi, Gary, 1999. "International trade and industrial upgrading in the apparel commodity chain," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 37-70, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Padmashree Gehl Sampath & Bertha Vallejo, 2018. "Trade, Global Value Chains and Upgrading: What, When and How?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 481-504, July.
    2. Martin Borowiecki & Bernhard Dachs & Doris Hanzl-Weiss & Steffen Kinkel & Johannes Pöschl & Magdolna Sass & Thomas Christian Schmall & Robert Stehrer & Andrea Szalavetz, 2012. "Global Value Chains and the EU Industry," wiiw Research Reports 383, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    3. Pleticha, Petr, 2021. "Who Benefits from Global Value Chain Participation? Does Functional Specialization Matter?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 291-299.
    4. Bhushan Praveen Jangam & Badri Narayan Rath, 2020. "Cross-country convergence in global value chains: Evidence from club convergence analysis," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 163, pages 134-146.
    5. Suder, Gabriele & Liesch, Peter W. & Inomata, Satoshi & Mihailova, Irina & Meng, Bo, 2015. "The evolving geography of production hubs and regional value chains across East Asia: Trade in value-added," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 404-416.
    6. Ketan Reddy & Subash Sasidharan, 2023. "Digitalization and global value chain participation: firm-level evidence from Indian manufacturing," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 50(3), pages 551-574, September.
    7. Pol Antràs & Davin Chor, 2021. "Global Value Chains," NBER Working Papers 28549, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Eduardo Hernandez-Rodriguez & Ron Boschma & Andrea Morrison & Xianjia Ye, 2023. "Functional upgrading and downgrading in global value chains: Evidence from EU regions using a relatedness/complexity framework," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2316, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jul 2023.
    9. Pasquali, Giovanni & Krishnan, Aarti & Alford, Matthew, 2021. "Multichain strategies and economic upgrading in global value chains: Evidence from Kenyan horticulture," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    10. Jan Fagerberg & Bengt-Åke Lundvall & Martin Srholec, 2018. "Global Value Chains, National Innovation Systems and Economic Development," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 533-556, July.
    11. Gideon Ndubuisi & Solomon Owusu, 2021. "How important is GVC participation to export upgrading?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(10), pages 2887-2908, October.
    12. Kuroiwa, Ikuo, 2014. "Value added trade and structure of high-technology exports in China," IDE Discussion Papers 449, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    13. Charlotte Keijser & Michiko Iizuka, 2018. "Looking Beyond Global Value Chains in Capacity Development: The Case of the IT-Enabled Service (ITES) Sector in South Africa," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(3), pages 442-461, July.
    14. Nadia Zahoor & Jie Wu & Huda Khan & Zaheer Khan, 2023. "De-globalization, International Trade Protectionism, and the Reconfigurations of Global Value Chains," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 63(5), pages 823-859, October.
    15. Doan, Ngoc Thang, 2023. "Cultural proximity and global value chains," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 106-120.
    16. Pierluigi Montalbano & Silvia Nenci & Carlo Pietrobelli, 2018. "Opening and linking up: firms, GVCs, and productivity in Latin America," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 917-935, April.
    17. Shen, Leilei & Silva, Peri, 2018. "Value-added exports and U.S. local labor markets: Does China really matter?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 479-504.
    18. Zhou, Yan & Chen, Shumei & Chen, Mei, 2019. "Global value chain, regional trade networks and Sino-EU FTA," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 26-38.
    19. Lema, Rasmus & Quadros, Ruy & Schmitz, Hubert, 2015. "Reorganising global value chains and building innovation capabilities in Brazil and India," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(7), pages 1376-1386.
    20. Kim, Dongin & Steinbach, Sandro & Zurita, Carlos, 2024. "Deep trade agreements and agri-food global value chain integration," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0312748. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.