As China steadily rose in the rankings of global trade up to the 2010s, the share of foreign-invested enterprises in the country’s trade likewise increased, reaching a peak in 2007-2008. From that point onwards, as fully Chinese-owned enterprises progressively became global players, the contribution of foreign-invested enterprises steadily decreased, reflecting the increasing self-reliance of China’s trade.
In 1990, China’s exports amounted to around USD 30 billion, placing it outside the world’s top ten exporting countries in 11th place. By 2010, China had become the world’s leading exporter and second-largest importer behind the U.S. Over this period, the share of foreign-invested enterprises in China’s trade rose steadily, peaking in 2007 at 58.2% for imports and in 2008 at 57.2% for exports.
By 2010, however, with China now a dominant player in global trade, a significant change had occurred. As fully Chinese-owned enterprises progressively became global players, the share of foreign-invested enterprises started to decline precipitously:
- In 1990, the percentage share of foreign-invested enterprises in imports was 12.4% and 6.4% for exports.
- In the succeeding decades, this share increased year-by-year, surpassing 50% for imports in 1998 and the same level for exports in 2003.
- The peak for imports occurred in 2007 at 58.2% and for exports in 2008 at 57.2%.
- Since then, the role played by foreign-invested enterprises has decreased substantially to (in 2023) 37.8% for imports and 34.0% for exports, levels last seen in 1995 and 1997, respectively.
- In 2024, we estimate that the share for imports declined to 35.5% and that for exports to 31.5%.
Foreign-invested enterprises played a key role in making China the world’s largest exporter and second-largest importer, but since 2007, China’s trade has shifted precipitously to self-reliance.
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