Abstract: Based on the global value chain decomposition theoretical framework and the decomposition results, this paper applies the social network analyzing method to explore the export trade network pattern of China’s manufacturing industry from the two aspects of network characteristics and network structure. The findings show that the rapid growth of the export trade of China’s manufacturing industry has led to the prosperity of the trade of global manufacturing industry, while at the same time it has also exacerbated the asymmetry of the interdependence with the major trading partners in the trade network. The global trade network not only is a medium for China to exert its impact as a manufacturing power, but also provides a platform for China’s manufacturing industry to move forward. In the global manufacturing trade network, China has achieved the transition from the edge to the core, and its participation in the global value chain is growing at every link, making the value chain extending continuously. Thus, the impact and control of the developed countries on the global manufacturing trade has been diluted to a certain extent.

Key words: global value chain; WWZ decomposition method; China’s manufacturing industry; trade network