Policy for Export Promotion in Post-1978 China

Abstract

The world economy, and especially the economies of most developed countries, was in a state of recession, followed by a weak recovery, during the period between the late 1970s and the mid-1980s. As this caused variations in their demand for the products of the LDCs, the DCs placed greater restrictions on imports from these countries. As a result, scepticism about both the benefits from the past expansion in exports and the possibilities for continued expansion in the future has also been on the increase (see Lewis, 1980; C. Edwards, 1985). It is indeed true that there are considerable trade barriers confronting the LDCs in their quest for the promotion of exports. However, given these barriers, there is much that can be done in the individual developing country itself, in terms of domestic policy, to spur its exports.