Abstract: By combining the patent application database of Chinese enterprises and the database of Chinese industrial enterprises from year 2000 to 2011, this paper takes the invention patents, utility model patents and design patents at the enterprise level as the agency indicators of independent technological innovation, and it employs the propensity-score matching and difference-in-difference methods to study whether the export of enterprises leads to innovation, then it also measures the different impacts of this effect on the quantity and quality of independent technological innovation. The results show that, as a whole, exports can lead to the improvement of the quantity of independent technological innovation and the decrease of the quality; structurally, the quality of design patents of high-tech enterprises, foreign-funded enterprises, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises is improved due to their exports, while the quality of patents of other kinds in other cases is reduced due to their exports, at the same time, the quantity of patents is improved by their exports. The results of further mechanism test show that the impact of export on independent technological innovation is realized through competition effect. The aggravation of export market competition and the imperfection of patent support policy lead to the increase of patent quantity and the decrease of quality. Therefore, we should not only encourage exports, take advantage of the positive side of competition, force the enterprises to carry out innovation, and increase the quantity of innovation, but also improve China's patent examination and approval system and the supporting policies to alleviate the negative effects of competition and improve the quality of innovation.

Key words: export, competitive effect, innovation quantity, innovation quality