The Impact of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor on the Trade Relationship of China and Other Countries Under the Belt and Road Initiative
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36777/jag2023.2.1.7Keywords:
New Western Land-Sea Corridor, Belt and Road, Trade Pattern, Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)Abstract
Based on the historical foundation and development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this study uses trade data from the UN Comtrade database to examine the structural characteristics of the Belt and Road trade network from 2013 to 2019. Network analysis and agglomerative subgroup identification are employed to investigate how the development of new trade corridors influences the overall structure of the network. Trade flows for 2013, 2016, and 2019 are visualised using Gephi to examine the trade relationships among countries along the Belt and Road and identify changes in the network structure. The results show that: (1) the overall density of the trade network increased during the study period; (2) the network remained highly unbalanced, with China occupying a dominant core position, while Russia and several ASEAN countries also held relatively important positions; and (3) some countries increasingly moved beyond geographically constrained trade relationships and became more actively integrated into global trade networks. Given the prominent role of Southeast Asian countries, particularly ASEAN members, in the Belt and Road trade network, the study further examines the export characteristics of 13 Chinese provinces involved in the construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor to ASEAN. Using foreign trade data from DRCnet, three indicators, namely geographical concentration, product concentration, and export technological complexity, were selected for a multidimensional analysis of provincial exports to ASEAN. Using the K-means clustering method, the 13 provinces were classified into three groups: “single trade-object oriented,” “high-tech oriented,” and “weak response to the New Corridor.” From the perspective of economic cooperation with ASEAN, these findings provide insights into the different export characteristics and development capacities of participating provinces. The study also offers policy recommendations to help provinces strengthen their participation in the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, enhance trade cooperation with ASEAN, and promote the sustainable development of foreign trade.
References
Chen, J. (2017). Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou and Gansu signed a framework agreement on connectivity to jointly build a southbound corridor. Chongqing Daily.
Chen, Y. (2019). Interpretation of the Belt and Road Index in Southeast Asia in 2017. Southeast Asian Studies, 61(1), 113–135.
de Soyres, F., Mulabdic, A., Murray, S., Rocha, N., & Ruta, M. (2019). How much will the Belt and Road Initiative reduce trade costs? International Economics, 159, 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inteco.2019.07.003
Ding, J. (2018). Hainan and many western provinces are expected to join the China-Singapore South Corridor or to expand their borders. 21st Century Business Herald.
Duan, X. (2017). The change of export technology complexity of Chinese manufacturing industry and its influencing factors: A case study of textile and garment industry and electromechanical transportation equipment industry. Finance and Trade Research, 28(10), 52–62.
Feng, L., Xu, H., Wu, G., & others. (2020). Exploring the structure and influence factors of trade competitive advantage network along the Belt and Road. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications, 559, 125066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2020.125066
Guo, S. (2020). Research on trade trends between China and ASEAN under the background of new land-sea passage. Railway Survey and Design, 1, 53–57.
Guo, X., & Huang, S. (2019). Comparative study on service trade competitiveness between China and Singapore under the construction of “New Land-Sea Corridor”. Journal of Hebei University of Economics and Business (Comprehensive Edition), 19(4), 45–52.
Huang, W., & Gong, X. (2014). Empirical analysis of the impact of international logistics performance of Silk Road Economic Belt on China’s electromechanical products export. Journal of International Trade, 4(10), 56–66.
Li, H., & Zhang, Y. (2021). The prospect of China–ASEAN economic and trade relations under the new pattern of double circulation development. Asia-Pacific Economic Review, 38(1), 90–97.
Li, X. (Ed.). (1999). Economic geography. Higher Education Press.
Liu, W. (2015). The scientific connotation and problems of “One Belt and One Road” strategy. Progress in Geography, 34(5), 538–544.
Nam, F., Lean, H. H., & Salim, R. (2020). The impact of China’s One Belt One Road Initiative on international trade in the ASEAN region. The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 54, 101089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbef.2020.101089
Wang, J. (2017). Conditions, problems and prospects of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and the United Arab Emirates. Contemporary World, 37(6), 66–69.
Wang, J. (2020). New Corridor connecting the “Belt and Road” and the domestic and international double cycle: Based on the industrial chain perspective. China Business and Market, 34(10), 3–16.
Wang, J., & Han, J. (2018). Research on border trade development between Guangxi and Vietnam under One Belt and One Road. Social Sciences in Guangxi, 4(10), 59–62.
Wang, P., Wei, Y., & Gao, X. (2021). Study on community structure and economic convergence effect of commodity trade network along the Belt and Road. World Regional Studies, 30(1), 25–36.
Wang, R. (2020). Connecting Lancang-Mekong Cooperation with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor: Foundation, challenge and path. International Studies, 6, 115–132.
Yang, Y. (2003). Causes and countermeasures of export instability in Jiangsu Province. East China Economic Management, 4(1), 4–6.
Yang, Z. (2019). Laos participates in the research on the construction of new international land and sea trade channels. ASEAN Studies, 4, 65–76.
Yuan, L. (2019). Current situation and countermeasures of international transportation through new international land and sea trade channels. Modern Economic Information, 16, 129–130.
Zhang, X., & Hu, J. (2020). Current situation, problems and improvement of cross-border railway transport rules for new international land and sea trade channels. International Business Research, 41(3), 67–75.
Zhao, G., Zhu, G., & Wang, T. (2019). Assessment on the development status of new international land and sea trade routes under the background of “One Belt and One Road”. Logistics Technology, 38(7), 5–13.
Zhao, J., & Sun, H. (2019). Research on the evolution of trade relations between China and countries along the Belt and Road. International Economics and Trade Research, 35(11), 36–48.
Zheng, L., Song, Z., Liu, W., & others. (2015). Analysis of trade pattern and trade structure in western China. Geographical Research, 34(10), 1933–1942.
Zhuang, J. (2019). A new opportunity for the development and opening up of the western region: A new channel for land and sea trade. Foreign Investment in China, 1, 40–42.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Journal of Asian Geography
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
