Export Performances of Selected Electronics Products: The Case of China and ASEAN-5

Since embarking on its economic reform and open door policy in the late 1970s, China has emerged as the world’s new economic powerhouse. Its accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 further accelerated the growth. China’s vast potential market and cost competitiveness have combined to attract substantial foreign investment especially in electronics production. China’s dominance in electronics production as reflected in its export performance may jeopardize the position of ASEAN-5 countries, which have previously been the established locations for electronics production. This paper sets to assess the impact of China’s impressive economic growth and ascendancy on its ASEAN-5 neighbors by examining the trends in their export performances of office machines, data processing machines, and telecommunication equipments. The findings suggest that by 2004, China’s exports have surpassed the combined exports of ASEAN-5 countries in all three product groups