Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) indices were calculated for China (1980-2000) and the Chinese provinces (1990-1998) and then incorporated separately into a reduced form export equation. The econometric results show that China’s shift from a heavy industry-oriented development strategy to a comparative advantage one had a significant impact on exports, in addition to the effects of the real effective exchange rate, world demand, and domestic supply. The observed differences of this shift among the Chinese provinces explain their different export performances.