IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v13y2025i2p42-d1588176.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Industrialization in China: A Spatial Panel Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Zhifeng Yang

    (School of International Economics and Trade, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, No. 995 Shangchuan Road, Shanghai 201209, China)

  • Sajid Anwar

    (School of Business and Creative Industries, University of Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia)

  • Yuqi Yang

    (School of Management, Shanghai University, No. 99, Shangda Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai 200444, China)

Abstract

This study employs spatial econometric techniques to examine the heterogeneous effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on industrialization across China’s four major regions—East, Central, West, and Northeast—using panel data from 31 provinces (1998–2016). Our findings reveal significant regional variations: FDI negatively impacts industrialization in the developed East, positively influences the less developed Northeast, and shows no significant effect in the Central and Western regions. To achieve balanced industrialization, policymakers should adopt spatially differentiated strategies. In the East, the focus should be on incentivizing high-value FDI in R&D and green technologies, while the Northeast could benefit from stronger economic partnerships within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). For the Central and Western regions, prioritizing infrastructure investments linked to the BRI and fostering cross-regional innovation corridors could attract labor-intensive FDI and promote technology diffusion, addressing regional disparities. The study’s robust spatial analysis offers valuable guidance for policymakers in crafting region-specific strategies to leverage FDI for balanced economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhifeng Yang & Sajid Anwar & Yuqi Yang, 2025. "The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Industrialization in China: A Spatial Panel Analysis," Economies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:13:y:2025:i:2:p:42-:d:1588176
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/13/2/42/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/13/2/42/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bailey, Nicholas & Warby, Brian, 2019. "Explaining the competition for FDI: Evidence from Costa Rica and cross-national industry-level FDI data," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 67-77.
    2. Echevarria, Cristina, 1997. "Changes in Sectoral Composition Associated with Economic Growth," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 38(2), pages 431-452, May.
    3. Lakhwinder Singh & Deepika Chawla, 2018. "Interconnection between R&D and Industrial Production Structure: The Experience of India," Millennial Asia, , vol. 9(3), pages 278-294, December.
    4. Manzoor Ahmad & Shoukat Iqbal Khattak & Shehzad Khan & Zia Ur Rahman, 2020. "Do aggregate domestic consumption spending & technological innovation affect industrialization in South Africa? An application of linear & non-linear ARDL models," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 44-65, January.
    5. Mingyong Hong & Wenjie Zhang, 2021. "Industrial structure upgrading, urbanization and urban-rural income disparity: evidence from China," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(15), pages 1321-1326, September.
    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. Enrique García R & Alvaro Mendez, 2021. "Mañana Today: A Long View of Economic Value Creation in Latin America," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(3), pages 410-413, May.
    2. Julia M. Puaschunder, 2019. "Artificial Intelligence Market Disruption," Proceedings of the 13th International RAIS Conference, June 10-11, 2019 01 JP, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.
    3. Till F. Hollstein & Kristian Estévez, 2017. "Industrial Policy and the Timing of Trade Liberalization," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2017/361, University of Barcelona School of Economics.
    4. Tahir Mahmood & Tahir Mahmood & Mikael Linden, 2017. "Structural Change and Economic Growth in Schengen Region," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(1), pages 303-311.
    5. Herrendorf, Berthold & Rogerson, Richard & Valentinyi, Ákos, 2014. "Growth and Structural Transformation," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 6, pages 855-941, Elsevier.
    6. Hailu, Degol & Kipgen, Chinpihoi, 2017. "The Extractives Dependence Index (EDI)," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 251-264.
    7. Dalila Nicet-Chenaf & Eric Rougier, 2009. "Human capital and structural change: how do they interact with each others in growth," Post-Print hal-00798441, HAL.
    8. Alonso-Carrera, Jaime & Raurich, Xavier, 2015. "Demand-based structural change and balanced economic growth," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 359-374.
    9. Douglas Gollin & Stephen Parente & Richard Rogerson, 2001. "Farm Work, Home Work and International Productivity Differences," Department of Economics Working Papers 2002-08, Department of Economics, Williams College.
    10. Bjarne S. Jensen, 2004. "Pareto Efficiency, Relative Prices, and Solutions to CGE Models," DEGIT Conference Papers c009_006, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    11. Jaime Alonso-Carrera & Jordi Caballé & Xavier Raurich, 2011. "Sectoral composition and macroeconomic dynamics," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 869.11, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    12. Rui Mao & Jianwei Xu, 2014. "Consumption Structure Evolutions in an Aging Society and Implications for the Social Security System," Public Policy Review, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance Japan, vol. 10(2), pages 349-370, August.
    13. Miguel Ricaurte, 2010. "The Role of Labor Markets in Structural Change," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 584, Central Bank of Chile.
    14. Bridgman, Benjamin & Duernecker, Georg & Herrendorf, Berthold, 2018. "Structural transformation, marketization, and household production around the world," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 102-126.
    15. Douglas Gollin & Stephen Parente & Richard Rogerson, 2002. "The Role of Agriculture in Development," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 160-164, May.
    16. Borgersen, Trond-Arne & King, Roswitha M., 2014. "Structural origins of debt-sustainability in mature and transition economies: Domar, Balassa–Samuelson and Maastricht," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 101-119.
    17. Antonio Saravia & Carlos Gustavo Machicado & Felix Rioja, 2014. "Productivity, Structural Change and Latin American Development," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 610-624, August.
    18. Elizabeth Caucutt & Thomas Cooley & Nezih Guner, 2013. "The farm, the city, and the emergence of social security," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 1-32, March.
    19. Bruno Lanz & Simon Dietz & Timothy Swanson, 2016. "Economic growth and agricultural land conversion under uncertain productivity improvements in agriculture," CIES Research Paper series 43-2016, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    20. Michaud, Amanda & Rothert, Jacek, 2014. "Optimal borrowing constraints and growth in a small open economy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 326-340.

    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:gam:jecomi:v:13:y:2025:i:2:p:42-:d:1588176. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.