China's export evolution in the dynamic global product space from 2000 to 2011

摘要

China's massive export trajectory can enlighten many developing countries regarding foreign trade. Based on the 'product space' theory, the present study analyses the evolution of China's export economy from three perspectives: (1) comparative advantage from a longitudinal perspective, (2) diversification from a horizontal perspective, and (3) location in dynamic global product space from a spatial perspective. Results show that China's export economy is becoming more diversified and has evolved from a polarized structure to a relatively balanced system. At the same time, China has been moving from a peripheral location to a core place in the clusters of global product space. This study concludes that both path dependence and path creation are important in driving China's export evolution process.