Recently, a joint research paper authored by Professor Cai Hongbo of Beijing Normal University Business School (BNUBS) and Associate Researcher Han Jinrong from the School of Economics, University of International Business and Economics (PhD graduate of BNUBS, Class of 2023) has been listed among the Top Ten Outstanding Papers of 2024–2025 included in the Yearbook of China International Trade. Titled Digital Technology Adoption and Corporate Export Performance: Evidence from Firms in Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone, the article was published in Issue 5, 2024 of Management World.

The adoption of digital technologies constitutes a vital driver for the digital transformation of trade entities and the high-quality development of foreign trade. Drawing on firm-level panel data covering enterprises within the Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone from 2014 to 2019, Professor Cai and his co-author empirically examine how digital technology deployment shapes corporate export performance. The empirical results reveal that digital technology application generates significant growth and upgrading effects on firm exports, manifested in higher export propensity, expanded total export volume, increased exports of high-tech products, and a larger share of high-tech goods in overall shipments. Heterogeneous effects exist across diverse types of digital technologies: fundamental digital technologies substantially boost the export performance of high-tech manufactures, while applied digital tools primarily enlarge aggregate export scale. Furthermore, the growth and upgrading dividends brought by digital technologies are more pronounced for private enterprises and large-and-medium-sized corporations. Mechanism tests verify that digital technologies facilitate export expansion and upgrading by reshaping technological paradigms and optimizing the skill composition of the workforce. Extended analysis identifies a complementary synergistic effect between state-led innovation tax incentives and digital technology adoption in stimulating corporate exports. This research delivers valuable policy implications for leveraging digital technologies to advance high-standard opening-up.

Compiled by the National Academy of Economic Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Yearbook of China International Trade is the first disciplinary yearbook dedicated to international trade studies in China. Released biennially, it selects representative scholarly outputs through a rigorous three-stage screening procedure: editorial panel nomination, peer expert scoring, and comprehensive evaluation. The editorial team sorts research into ten thematic areas based on papers published over the preceding two years, selecting ten outstanding works for each field to serve as benchmark academic contributions.

Edited by Sun Yue

Reviewed by Hu Conghui