FDI technology spillovers in Chinese supplier-customer networks

Abstract

This paper examines foreign direct investment (FDI) technology spillovers between firms in a supply chain and analyzes the mechanism behind their occurrence. Results using firm-level transaction data from China between 2009 and 2020 show that, unlike inter-industry linkage effects, in the Chinese market, FDI technology spillovers can directly occur through connections between suppliers and customers, demonstrating the existence of inter-firm technology spillover effects of FDI. Further analysis reveals that FDI technology spillovers between firms are generated through channels of knowledge transfer and optimized supply chain configurations, predominantly observed in state-owned firms, small and medium-sized firms, the manufacturing sector, and high-tech industries. Upon analyzing the detailed breakdown of FDI sources, it was found that FDI from developed countries exhibits inter-firm technology spillover effects. In contrast, FDI from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions, developing countries, and tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands show insignificant effects on inter-firm technology spillovers. These conclusions offer policy insights for China and other developing countries to better utilize FDI to promote the development of local firms in the context of the sustained global supply chain restructuring.