The Impact of Export Restrictions on International Trade in Medical Products : An Analysis of Supply Chain Disruptions between China and the United States during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract: This thesis investigates the impact of export restrictions on supply chains within the medical supply industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. A multiple linear regression model is estimated on monthly data between January 2020 to December 2022. The regression model is provided to help analyze China's trade values of medical supplies with the United States in relation to textile face-masks. Different measures which influenced supply chains were implemented by the governments in response to the health crisis. The model for this thesis included factors such as export restrictions in the form of licensing and permit requirements, lockdowns in China and also confirmed number of Covid cases in China and the United States respectively. The results aligns with the hypothesis that export restraints as well as lockdowns and the confirmed number of cases in China had a negative significant impact on China’s exporting trade value of textile face-masks to the United States while the number of confirmed cases in the United States showed a positive relationship to China’s trade values.