Using transaction-level data for the Chinese manufacturing sector, this paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the causal e↵ect that firms’ imports have on quality upgrading. We implement an empirical strategy that delivers quality estimates at the firm-product-destination level. Exploiting this measure and accounting for the endogeneity of imported inputs, this paper shows that sourcing from abroad boosts export quality. Moreover, the analysis indicates that quality improvements are particularly strong when firms purchase inputs from high-income countries. Taken together, these results provide direct evidence that quality upgrading is an important mechanism through which imports favor firms’ export performance.

JEL codes: F10, F12, F31, F41.

Keywords: Export quality upgrading, Firms’ imports, Imports from developed countries.

Data Availability Statement: the data that support the findings of this study are confidential and granted from the Nankai University (China).