Chinese exports and attitudes towards China: An empirical analysis based on the GDELT news event database

This study constructs an index of attitudes towards China using the GDELT Event Database from 1985 to 2020 and investigates the effect of Chinese exports on destination countries’ attitudes towards China. The empirical results show that the more China exports to a country, the more positive are that country’s attitudes towards China. The positive effect can be explained by a producer mechanism, as intermediate goods from China disproportionately benefit individuals in processing industries. Further investigation shows that the positive effect is more pronounced for countries that lack a stable international trade environment, are not World Trade Organisation members, or do not participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. Additionally, various heterogeneous effects are examined. Chinese exports to middle- and low-income, high-risk, or less corrupt countries contribute to a positive image of China. Attitudes are also categorised by actor type – official versus non-official – and are found to vary across countries with different income levels.