Access Denied, Performance Declined: Information Access Barriers and the Multi‐Dimensional Export Competitiveness in China

ABSTRACT Utilising microdata from Chinese A‐share listed firms matched to the China Customs Database over the period 2007–2016, this paper exploits a quasi‐natural experiment based on Google's exit from mainland China and constructs a difference‐in‐differences (DID) model to systematically examine the impact of information access barriers on firms' multi‐dimensional export competitiveness. The results indicate that information access barriers have a significant negative effect on firms' multi‐dimensional export competitiveness, primarily reflected in narrowing export product scope, reducing export technological sophistication and weakening their centrality in the export trade network. Mechanism analyses reveal that information access barriers suppress firms' multi‐dimensional export competitiveness through multiple channels, including increasing transaction costs, constraining technological innovation, weakening capital investment, reducing productivity and aggravating financial constraints. Moreover, heterogeneity tests reveal that the impact of information access barriers on firms' multi‐dimensional export competitiveness varies significantly across regions, industries and firm types. Extending the scope beyond export performance, further analysis shows that restricted information access significantly impairs firms' short‐term profitability and long‐term market valuation. Taken together, this study underscores the critical role of information access barriers in firms' export competitiveness and upgrading, offering important insights for better leveraging information technology to improve export patterns.