This book outlines the process of China's trade reforms over the past two decades and assesses the impact of these reforms on the economy. The author provides a detailed quantitative analysis to trace China's evolving commodity pattern of trade and changing comparative advantage structure over the entire reform period.Tables and Figures Abbreviations Preface Introduction Reforming a Centrally Planned Foreign Trade System Factor Intensity of China's Tradable Commodities China's Foreign Trade Patterns and Performance Measuring Comparative Advantage Tradable Goods Price Structure in China, 1978-95 Shadow Prices of Primary Factors of Production in China, 1978-95 China's International Comparative Advantage 1978-95: DRP Results China's Trade Patterns and Its Comparative Advantage Summary and Conclusion Bibliography IndexDR ZHANG received his PhD from Australian National University (ANU) in 1993. Prior to that, he was a researcher in the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a lecturer in the Department of Economics at Renmin University in Beijing. After completion of his study, he was a visiting research fellow in the Department of Economics in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the ANU before joining the Department of Economics at the University of Melbourne as a lecturer in July 1994. Since then he has taught International Economics, Chinese Economy, Economic Growth and Development and Economic Development of East Asia. His main research interests are in international economics and development economics.