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Exporting deflation? Chinese exports and Japanese prices

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  • Christian Broda
  • David E. Weinstein

Abstract

Between 1992 and 2002, the Japanese Import Price Index (IPI) registered a decline of almost 9 percent and Japan entered a period of deflation. We show that much of the correlation between import prices and domestic prices was due to formula biases. Had the IPI been computed using a pure Laspeyres index like the CPI, the IPI would have hardly moved at all. A Laspeyres version of the IPI would have risen 1 percentage point per year faster than the official index. Second we show that Chinese prices did not behave differently from the prices of other importers. Although Chinese prices are substantially lower than the prices of other exporters, they do not exhibit a differential trend. However, we estimate that the typical price per unit quality of a Chinese exporter fell by half between 1992 and 2005. Thus the explosive growth in Chinese exports is attributable to growth in the quality of Chinese exports and the increase in new products being exported by China.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Broda & David E. Weinstein, 2008. "Exporting deflation? Chinese exports and Japanese prices," Working Paper Series 2008-29, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedfwp:2008-29
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Feenstra, Robert C, 1994. "New Product Varieties and the Measurement of International Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 157-177, March.
    2. Christian Broda & David E. Weinstein, 2006. "Globalization and the Gains From Variety," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 121(2), pages 541-585.
    3. Christian Broda & David E. Weinstein, 2007. "Defining Price Stability in Japan: A View from America," Monetary and Economic Studies, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan, vol. 25(S1), pages 169-206, December.
    4. Paul R. Bergin & Robert C. Feenstra, 2008. "Pass-through of exchange rates and competition between Mexico and China," Proceedings, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    5. Peter K. Schott, 2006. "The Relative Sophistication of Chinese Exports," NBER Working Papers 12173, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kozo Kiyota, 2023. "Spatially uneven pace of deindustrialisation within a country," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(7), pages 2187-2230, July.
    2. Larry D. Qiu & Chaoqun Zhan, 2016. "Special Section: China's Growing Trade and its Role to the World Economy," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 45-71, February.
    3. Shin-Ichi Fukuda & Munehisa Kasuya, 2012. "A Rise Of China And The Japanese Economy: Evidence From Macro- And Firm-Level Micro-Data," China Economic Policy Review (CEPR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 1(01), pages 1-27.
    4. Maurice Obstfeld, 2009. "Time of Troubles: The Yen and Japan's Economy, 1985-2008," NBER Working Papers 14816, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Auer, Raphael & Fischer, Andreas M., 2010. "The effect of low-wage import competition on U.S. inflationary pressure," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(4), pages 491-503, May.
    6. Shin-ichi Fukuda, 2010. "The Rise of China and the Sustained Recovery of Japan," Chapters, in: Takatoshi Ito & Chin Hee Hahn (ed.), The Rise of China and Structural Changes in Korea and Asia, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Fu, Xiaolan & Kaplinsky, Raphael & Zhang, Jing, 2012. "The Impact of China on Low and Middle Income Countries’ Export Prices in Industrial-Country Markets," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1483-1496.
    8. Takahashi, Shuhei, 2021. "The uniqueness of steady-state equilibrium under state-dependent pricing: The case of deflation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    9. Luh, Yir-Hueih & Jiang, Wun-Ji & Huang, Szu-Chi, 2016. "Trade-related spillovers and industrial competitiveness: Exploring the linkages for OECD countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 309-325.
    10. Sawhney, Aparna & Kahn, Matthew E., 2012. "Understanding cross-national trends in high-tech renewable power equipment exports to the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 308-318.
    11. Filip Abraham & Jan Van Hove, 2011. "Chinese competition in OECD markets: impact on the export position and export strategy of OECD countries," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 151-170.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation

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