Economic Growth And Convergence Applied Especially To China

Although China's economy has grown very rapidly in recent decades, there are still very large differences between the economy of mainland China and the economies of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. For example, per capita income in Hong Kong is many, many times higher than per capita income in mainland China. This book considers the degree to which economic convergence between mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan has occurred, and the prospects for increased convergence in the future. It considers economic integration between China and its two Special Administrative Regions (SARS), emphasising the large volume of capital flows and exports, especially from Hong Kong into China, and showing that the economies are highly integrated, despites their differences. It examines income convergence, and changes in productivity, using the same measures for both China and the two SARS, unlike most existing studies. It explores how economic reforms have been crucial to increasing convergence so far, and will continue to be in the future, and concludes by discussing the implications for policy of encouraging increased convergence.

China's economy has been growing at ten per cent per annum for the last three decades. This book considers one of the biggest questions facing contemporary economists: why and how is the Chinese economy growing so fast?

China’s growth potential has become a hotly debated topic as the economy has reached an income level susceptible to the “middle-income trap” and financial vulnerabilities are mounting after years of rapid credit expansion. However, the existing literature has largely focused on macro level aggregates, which are ill suited to understanding China’s significant structural transformation and its impact on economic growth. To fill the gap, this paper takes a deep dive into China’s convergence progress in 38 industrial sectors and 11 services sectors, examines past sectoral transitions, and predicts future shifts. We find that China’s productivity convergence remains at an early stage, with the industrial sector more advanced than services. Large variations exist among subsectors, with high-tech industrial sectors, in particular the ICT sector, lagging low-tech sectors. Going forward, ample room remains for further convergence, but the shrinking distance to the frontier, the structural shift from industry to services, and demographic changes will put sustained downward pressure on growth, which could slow to 5 percent by 2025 and 4 percent by 2030. Digitalization, SOE reform, and services sector opening up could be three major forces boosting future growth, while the risks of a financial crisis and a reversal in global integration in trade and technology could slow the pace of convergence.

The current growth of the Chinese economy is of immense importance for the global economy. This book outlines the main characteristics of Chinese economic growth over the last two decades, and investigates in detail the key determinants of growth, especially capital formation and productivity issues. It goes on to examine the important related questions of employment and underemployment, regional disparity, and economic integration, exploring in detail how far economic integration has taken place in south China, including the economies of Hong Kong and Taiwan, and how far this integration has been a determinant of economic growth. The book makes comparisons with other East Asian economies, and concludes with a consideration of the prospects for continuing growth in the twenty-first century.

Due to their sheer size and stake in the global economy, China and India have long been identified as the two giant economies of Asia. This book presents a highly engaging comparative study on the economic growth of China and India by examining the significance of the role of productivity in economic growth as well as their relations with regional partners. Through detailed analysis of trade, services, energy and pollution, readers are invited to follow the two distinctive development trajectories taken by the two countries, as well as challenged to consider the issue of sustainability of growth in the future.

Between 1978 and 2006, GDP growth in China maintained an annual average rate of 9.7%, meaning the Chinese economy increased by more than twelve times. This was achieved with quite unorthodox approaches to reform and development as China has adopted a gradualist approach to adopting key institutions, as well as modifying and experimenting with traditional recipes for economic growth. ¿ This collection brings together key researchers in the field from Asia, US, Europe and Australia to discuss how China has managed to push forward reforms in the face of political resistance, how the Chinese economy has maintained growth within an imperfect institutionalist environment and how the Chinese government remains effective when it relinquishes its power to the market. Specific emphasis is paid to the relevance of China¿s experiences to other developing countries. This valuable contribution to the study of China¿s economy covers a wide range of topics, including the historical foundations of the 30 years of reform, law and development in China, foreign direct investment, poverty reduction, market integration, income distribution, social protection, as well as demographics and population. ¿ Reform and Development in China finds both unique elements to the Chinese experience and elements which can be applied to other developing countries. In particular, China¿s gradualism in economic reform, strong leadership, and emphasis on inclusive development are singled out to be potentially transferable to other developing countries. This collection will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers as well as practitioners in development economics.