Will the use of industrial robots promote transformation of export trade modes? Empirical evidence from China

Abstract

Based on China’s Industrial Robot and Customs data from 2006 to 2019, this paper conducts an empirical investigation into the impact of industrial robot usage on export trade structures and its working mechanism with the popularization of industrial robots and the expansion of export trade in China. It finds that the use of industrial robots has significantly increased the proportion of general trade, reduced that of processing trade and promoted the transformation from processing-trade into general-trade, or the impact mechanism of industrial robots on export trade structure. After adopting such two methods as lag phase and tool variables to address potential endogenous problems, the results continue to be valid. In addition, the paper also discussed the regional heterogeneity effect of industrial robot trade transformation. Such evidence provides a new perspective for developing countries to explain the transformation of their export trade and are of high significance in optimizing the structure of trade patterns and promoting the transformation of export trade.

Robots in action

“…We contribute to the recent yet burgeoning literature investigating the economic consequences of adopting robots. Part of the literature has focused on the effects of technology adoption on local labour markets, sales and wages that comes from technology adoption opportunities (Aghion et al., 2020; Antonietti et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2002; Stapleton & Webb, 2020; Wang & Li, 2022), while others focus on productivity and industrial relations (Ballestar et al., 2021; Doraszelski & Jaumandreu, 2018; Wakelin, 1998).…”