Analysis on Trade Competition and Complementarity of High-Quality Agricultural Products in Countries along the Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by China in 2013 as a response to sluggish global economic growth. With most countries along the Belt and Road being developing countries, it is crucial to strengthen trade cooperation in agricultural products. However, the current literature lacks an analysis of the competitiveness and complementarity of agricultural products in these countries. This study aims to fill this gap by showing that the Belt and Road Initiative has reduced agricultural export competitiveness and increased agricultural trade complementarity. Several factors influence the similarity and complementarity of agricultural exports in participating countries along the Belt and Road, including geographical distance, level of economic development, free trade agreements, degree of country openness, exchange rates, cultural differences, share of agricultural value added, and level of infrastructure. The detailed analysis shows that the Belt and Road Initiative has significantly improved the quality of the agricultural exports of participating countries. The results of this paper provide a theoretical basis for the high-quality development of agricultural products in participating countries along the Belt and Road.