The (birthweight) gains from trade: Chinese imports and infant health in Sub-Saharan Africa

A growing literature has documented broad negative impacts of Chinese imports to advanced economies, mainly due to the competition of these imports with local production. However, for countries with a smaller manufacturing sector and which have not experienced a structural transformation away from agriculture, Chinese imports could have positive effects. We find evidence supporting this claim using a sample of over 350,000 births from 25 countries in Sub-Sahara Africa. Our identification compares the birthweight of biological siblings born at different levels of Chinese imports to their country. We find that an increase in Chinese imports of $100 (constant USD) is associated with an increase in birthweight by almost 14 g. Gains are larger for female children, children born to lesser-educated mothers and from imports of health- and food-related goods.