Do exports firms outperform non-export ones?An empirical study on different classification of manufacturing industries in China

Using Chinese Industrial Enterprise Database between 2005 and 2009,this paper constructs indicators,from aspects of efficiency,size and financing condition to explore comprehensively the new entry exporters’performance advantage over non-exporters by the method of PSM.The manufacturing industries are then classified into four categories,namely high-technology,medium-high-technology,medium-low-technology and low-technology,for detailed study.The results show that neither self-selection effect nor learning-by-exporting effect exists in Chinese exporters on the whole.Firms with lower productivity show higher export preference.Export is helpful for employment expansion and income increase;however,it does not enhance productivity and return on asset improvement.Firms in medium-high-technology industry learn by exporting significantly with obviously better performance than those in other categories,while low-technology export firms’performance is the worst.The policy implications is as follows:first,foreign trade structure needs to be upgraded steadily;second,medium-high-technology industry is suggested to be the key area to cultivate competitive advantage for export;third,increasing support to high-technology industry should be considered.