People’s Republic of China and its Neighbors: Partners or Competitors for Trade and Investment?

The very rapid economic growth of the People’s Republic of China (henceforth PRC), its dramatic success in world export markets and its heavy receipts of foreign direct investment (FDI) have generated much thought and debate in policy and business circles in different parts of the world. This paper surveys evidence from research by ADB Institute staff and Visiting Fellows conducted over the last two years that sheds light on these issues. The paper examines differences in trade structure between PRC and its trading partners, finding that PRC’s current structure is closest to that in Korea and Taipei, China in 1990. [ADB In stitute Research Paper Series No. 59]