Does International Fragmentation Occur in Sectors Other Than Machinery? *

It is well established in the published literature that international fragmentation has dramatically developed in East Asia since the 1990s, particularly in machinery industries, including general machinery, electric machinery, transport equipment and precision machinery. However, how far has international fragmentation developed in sectors other than the machinery sector, such as textiles or chemicals? To answer this question, we empirically investigate whether features of international fragmentation appear in other sectors by examining intraregional trade in East Asia. The results indicate that, although some features of international fragmentation can be observed in some other sectors, particularly in the chemical sector, they are most distinctive in the general/electric machinery sector. Copyright 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation 2008 East Asian Economic Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.