China’s overinvestment and international trade conflict

Gunther Schnabl

No 7642, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: For a long time, China’s impressive growth performance has been driven by investment and high productivity gains. Based on the recent discussion on possible overcapacities and overinvestment in China, the paper investigates the sustainability of China’s investment- and export-driven growth model. It is shown that since the turn of the millennium buoyant capital inflows and low interest rates have been at the roots of overinvestment and misallocation of capital, which necessitated export subsidies to clear markets. The overinvestment boom is argued to have ended around 2014. Since then, the overcapacities have weakened China’s bargaining position in the US-Chinese trade conflict and have tempted the Chinese authorities to postpone a restructuring of the Chinese economy by low-interest credit provision. The resulting gradual reemergence of quasi soft budget constraints is seen to undermine China’s long-term growth potential.

Keywords: China; investment; overinvestment; trade policy; credit growth; rebalancing; soft budget constraints; zombification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E22 E43 E58 F13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-int, nep-mac and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Journal Article: China's Overinvestment and International Trade Conflicts (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7642

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