Ayako Obashi

Production Networks in East Asia: What We Know so Far

Production networks in East Asia, particularly in the manufacturing and machinery industries, are well recognized as the most advanced in the world, in terms of their magnitude, extensiveness, and sophistication. This paper tries to link various economic studies on related topics, to see how much we understand about production networks in East Asia. After providing a brief overview of international trade statistics, the paper reviews a number of academic papers concerning (i) the structure and mechanics of production networks, (ii) the conditions for production networks, and (iii) the properties and implications thereof.

Deepening and Widening of Production Networks in ASEAN

This paper assesses the recent widening and deepening of machinery production networks in ASEAN by using highly disaggregated international trade data over 2007–13. Based on both traditional trade value data analysis and a novel approach to the diversification of exported products and destinations, we confirm the steady development of back-and-forth trade links, notably with East Asian partners, centering on Singapore and Thailand. In addition to the five ASEAN forerunners, Vietnam is an increasingly active player in such networking. Although their degree of participation is still limited, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar also show signs of joining production networks.

The Role of China, Japan, and Korea in Machinery Production Networks

ABSTRACT China, Japan, and Korea have been the three largest players in East Asian machinery production networks. This paper employs a new method of analyzing finely disaggregated international trade data that applies the concept of zero trade flows, least-traded goods, and intensive/extensive margins of trade growth and scrutinizes changes in the role of China, Japan, and Korea in machinery production networks between 2007 and 2013. We find, first, that China became a dominant player in the global machinery production networks in terms of both export values and the diversity and density of product-destination pairs. Second, the growth of Korea as machinery parts and components suppliers was also salient while Koreas dependency on China was sharply enhanced. Third, Japan kept being stagnated, and the machinery production links between Korea and Japan were substantially weakened.