Measurement of the Development Level of Cross-border E-Commerce in China's Provinces

Abstract

In the context of the weak growth of traditional foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce has become an important means for Chinese enterprises to carry out international trade, and has played an important role in promoting the stable growth and structural adjustment of China's foreign trade. This paper selects sample data of 31 provinces in China from 2014-2021, and measures the level of cross-border e-commerce development in China's provinces using factor analysis from 22 subdivision indicators in three dimensions: infrastructure, cross-border e-commerce application degree and environmental support. The study of measuring and evaluating the level of cross-border e-commerce development in China's provinces helps to further identify the level and spatial differentiation of cross-border e-commerce development in each region of China, make horizontal comparisons of the development levels of different regions, and provide a scientific basis for formulating e-commerce policies from the perspective of spatial differentiation and economic development. The empirical results show that the overall cross-border e-commerce development in China's provinces maintains a good growth trend, but there is a large gap in the level of cross-border e-commerce development among different regions, with Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shandong belonging to the first echelon of cross-border e-commerce development, while western provinces such as Tibet, Ningxia and Qinghai are lagging behind in cross-border e-commerce development, and there is a significant gap in the level of cross-border e-commerce development among the eastern, central and western regions. Factor analysis also shows that the digitalization level of cross-border e-commerce enterprises, the level of technological innovation, express delivery, the number of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones and other cross-border e-commerce development environment have a greater impact on the level of cross-border e-commerce development, to improve the level of cross-border e-commerce development, we should take the declaration and construction of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones as a grasp to point and surface; we should pay attention to the main position of enterprises in cross-border e-commerce development, and give financial, talent, technical and other support to cross-border e-commerce enterprises. We should pay attention to the environment construction and optimization of cross-border e-commerce development, pay attention to the linkage of industrial development between regions, play a complementary role between regions, and promote the further development of cross-border e-commerce.