Trade and industrial policy China in
the 1990s to today
Shenggen Fan, Ravi Kanbur, Shang-Jin Wei, and Xiaobo Zhang
Abstract
The Chinese government has intervened extensively to promote industrialization in China, relying on a range of policy instruments. This chapter first discusses the tax and tariff incentives offered to manufacturing firms in China during the last two decades. It then reviews the evidence regarding the impact of tax incentives and tariff protection on firm performance. It shows that China's industrial promotion policies have achieved varied success. The use of tax holidays for exporters and FDI promotion led to much better outcomes than higher tariffs or VAT rebates in backward provinces.