Global Industrial Chain Research Articles

Status, Challenges and Prospects of Policies Related to the Green Economy

Amidst the backdrop of globalization, the international community has increasingly focused on green economy policies, recognizing them as crucial instruments for advancing sustainable development. With the green and low-carbon transformation of the global industrial chain supply chain, the green economy and trade have become an important symbol for measuring the trade competitiveness of a country or region. Green economy policies are not only related to the process of global environmental governance but also have a direct impact on the green transformation of countries’ economic landscapes and the reshaping of international competitiveness. Amid escalating environmental challenges, the concern over leveraging green economic policies to foster harmonious economic and environmental development has emerged as a significant matter for governmental and international entities. This paper will focus on analyzing the relevant theories of the green economy, the status of its development, and the challenges it is currently facing. By analyzing the different cases of developed and developing countries in promoting the development of a green economy, we will take an in-depth look at the bottlenecks in the development of a green economy and the prospects for its future development, and reveal the specific challenges faced by different countries, as well as the innovative strategies they have adopted in promoting environmental sustainability and economic growth.

Sustainability in global industrial shipping chains: a positivist perspective of international relations

Supply chain sustainability has become a critical topic in management studies. It involves reevaluating performance and logistics practices by incorporating an increasing number of stakeholders to create a more socially and environmentally responsible supply chain. However, supply chain sustainability is not solely a business concern; it is also managed by public authorities at both national and supranational levels. While most research in supply chain management is traditionally guided by theories such as stakeholder theory and resource- and capability-based views, this paper offers a discussion on supply chain sustainability from the perspective of International Relations, specifically through realist and liberalist lenses. The paper concludes by highlighting the contributions of this approach and identifying potential areas for future research.

Global Competitiveness of China's New Energy Vehicle Industry: The Dual Role of Production Factors and Market Demand

In recent years, China's new energy automobile industry has risen rapidly and become an important player in the global market. Against the background of the global response to climate change and the promotion of green development, the development of the new energy automobile industry is not only related to China's economic transformation, but also occupies a pivotal position in the global industrial chain. This paper explores the dual impact of production factors and market demand on the global competitiveness of China's new energy automobile industry. By analyzing production factors such as technological innovation, R&D capability, human capital, supply chain efficiency and policy support, this paper describes the competitive advantages of China's new energy automobile industry in terms of technology and production. At the same time, this paper examines the driving role of domestic and international market demand and explores the impact of market demand on the globalization of the industry. Finally, this paper summarizes the achievements of China's new energy automobile industry in global competition, and looks forward to the path and strategy to enhance global competitiveness in the future.

Trade risk transmission of global cobalt industrial chain based on multi-layer network

In order to study the potential systemic risk transmission in cobalt trade, this paper combined the infectious disease model with complex networks to build a multi-layer network trade risk transmission model for cobalt trade based on the transmission of export restrictions and bilateral friction in a single country, in order to simulate the degree of impact of risk transmission in cobalt industry chain, identify key countries and risk transmission paths. The results show that multi-layer network risk transmission of global cobalt trade based on two communication forms has the characteristics of “robust and fragile”. In addition, the risk transmission situation based on bilateral frictions is mainly transmitted by core countries and direct contacts. The risk transmission based on the export restriction of a single country is mainly through direct contact, indirect contact and regional transmission. We also find that the multi-layer trade network of global cobalt trade can resist the bilateral frictional transmission mode better than the transmission mode of single country export restriction. The results can support policy makers to optimize the cobalt trade structure and mitigate the negative impact of trade disruptions.

Substitution effect of Asian economies on China’s industrial and supply chains: from the perspective of global production network

This paper views China Production Network (CPN) as an integral component of the Global Production Network (GPN) and constructs null model (GIVCBN-I model) and the counterfactual model (GIVCBN-II or GIVCBN-III model) to identify and measure the potential industrial relocation risk exposure of CPN based on the Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) table. The main findings are as follows. Firstly, Altasia will induce more of China’s industrial and supply chains to break compared with ASEAN, which also means that strong industrial complementarity exists between Japan, South Korea, India, Bangladesh and the ASEAN member countries, enabling Altasia to have a more significant substitution effect on China. Secondly, the counterfactual models’ network-level characteristic indicators are worse than those of the null model in economic terms, suggesting that removing trade barriers for intermediate goods within Altasia could lead to the decoupling of industrial sectors in the CPN, thereby accelerating the trend of China’s industrial and supply chains relocating offshore. Thirdly, according to the comparison results of node-level characteristic indicators, Altasia has weakened China’s influence scope, profitability, and robustness of risk within the global industrial and supply chains, but mainly concentrating on its resource-intensive and labor-intensive sectors rather than capital-intensive and technology-intensive sectors, which indicates that some China’s industrial sectors still maintain substantial competitive advantages in the GPN. In sum, this paper provides theoretical guidance for identifying and analyzing the trends of industrial relocation in the Asia-Pacific region and helps industrial policymakers deepen the understanding of regional economic integration and its impact.

Green Trade and Cultural Innovation: Examining the Impact on GTFP and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in OECD Countries

This study investigates the impact of green trade exports (GTE) on green total factor productivity (GTFP) and environmental sustainability in OECD countries using panel data from 2003 to 2016. We employ linear regression models, polynomial models, and threshold regression techniques to analyze this relationship. Our findings reveal an inverted N-shaped curve between GTE and GTFP, with two turning points. The threshold regression results indicate that when clean energy is below 8.660%, a 1 unit increase in GTE decreases GTFP by 1.518 units. However, when clean energy exceeds this threshold, a 1 unit increase in GTE increases GTFP by 1.056 units. For R&D, the effect of GTE on GTFP changes from −3.165 to 1.193 as R&D exceeds the threshold of 0.664%. Additionally, we find that GTE has a lagged effect on increasing CO2 emissions, with coefficients of 0.0234 and 0.0278 for 1-year and 2-year lags, respectively. The interaction between clean energy and GTE reduces CO2 emissions by 0.00234 units and PM2.5 by 0.0145 units. These results provide important insights for policymakers in developing countries seeking to participate effectively in the global industrial chain while promoting sustainable development.

How artificial intelligence affects international industrial transfer ——Evidence from industrial robot application

The development of high technology represented by artificial intelligence is an essential driver of international industrial transfer. Using country-industry-level industrial robot data and value-added trade data from 2002-2018, this paper empirically examines the impact and mechanism of artificial intelligence on the international industrial transfer undertaken by a country (region). The study shows that the application of artificial intelligence can significantly enhance the international industrial transfer undertaken by a country (region). Further analysis shows that artificial intelligence positively affects international industry transfer through two channels: Improving the quality of labor force and promoting the level technological innovation. Further heterogeneity analysis shows that, first, from the economic development degree perspective, artificial intelligence's role in promoting developing economies is more substantial than that in developed economies. Second, the financial crisis has weakened the impact of artificial intelligence on international industrial transfer from the perspective of time division，especially in developing economies. Third, from the perspective of industry heterogeneity, artificial intelligence has significantly promoted the transfer of medium-low and medium-high technology industries. The research in this paper extends the analysis of the effect of artificial intelligence. It provides realistic insights for optimizing the strategic layout of the robotics industry, achieving industrial structure upgrading, optimizing resource allocation efficiency, and grasping the opportunities of global industrial chain restructuring.

Trade Network Resilience of the Global Photovoltaic Industry Chain

Based on the trade data of the global photovoltaic (PV) industry chain from 2005 to 2021, this paper constructs a global PV industry chain trade network model and analyzes its static resilience and dynamic resilience characteristics, reaching the following conclusions. The static resilience of the trade network is analyzed through aggregation, transmission, hierarchy and matching. The upstream polysilicon trade network is relatively loose, while the midstream and downstream trade networks appear to aggregate significantly. The average path length is short and the average clustering coefficient is high, indicating that the global PV industry chain trade network has high transmission efficiency and small-world characteristics. The global PV industry chain trade network is hierarchical. The degree distribution slope of the upstream polysilicon trade network is the largest and has a high level of hierarchy. Meanwhile, the global PV industry chain trade network is a heterogeneous network, which strengthens the connection between the core countries and edge countries, making the global PV industry chain trade network more resilient. Regarding the dynamic resilience of the trade network, the deterministic disturbance strategies have a greater impact on network performance than the random disturbance strategies, indicating that targeted impacts exert greater impact on the resilience of the global PV industry chain trade network. For the deterministic disturbance strategy, the interference based on intermediate centrality has a higher impact on the overall resilience of the network than the interference based on degree centrality, thus the influence of the country with strong trade radiating ability on the network elasticity is greater than that of the country with strong transit ability.

ANALYZING AND FORECASTING CO2 EMISSIONS IN THE ALUMINUM SECTOR USING ARIMA MODEL

The urgent and pressing challenge posed by global climate change underscores the critical need for immediate and decisive action, particularly in the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to facilitate a trajectory towards sustainability. The significance of the aluminium industry, characterized by its notable carbon footprint, accentuates the importance of conducting comprehensive and environmentally conscious analyses within this sector. Heightened environmental apprehensions surrounding aluminium production necessitate the development of effective approaches for emission forecast. The primary aim of the article is to elucidate the present situation and future predictions of carbon emissions within the global aluminium industry, particularly in the context of escalating concerns regarding global climate security. The research concluded that there will be a decrease in CO2 emissions within the aluminium industry in the future as a result. Through meticulous assessments and exhaustive forecasts of CO2 emissions across the global aluminium industrial chain system, this study employed the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to scrutinize data spanning from 2005 to 2030. By furnishing valuable insights into prospective emission patterns and providing guidance for the formulation of sustainable policy measures, this research assumes a pivotal role in shaping data-driven strategies aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of aluminum production. Consequently, it contributes significantly to the collective endeavor to combat climate change and foster a more resilient and sustainable future for humanity.

RETRACTED: Decarbonizing progress: Exploring the nexus of renewable energy, digital economy, and economic development in South American countries

Examining the relationship between green energy, the digital economy, and economic advancement in eighteen South American nations, the study used the Principal Component Factor (PCF) approach. A Green Energy Transition Index (GETI) and a Digital Economy Index (DEI) were developed as a consequence of this study. Confirmation of the large influence of switching to green energy on economic development and environmental sustainability is provided by the research's use of Fixed Effect Panel Threshold Regression (FEPTR) analysis. In today's global industrial value chain, hydrocarbons are the main source of energy. As a result, it hastened the decarburization of the world energy system to lower the noteworthy quantities of CO2 emissions from these sources. All quantile groups' economic development is strongly impacted by the digital economy and the move to green energy, according to the Methodology of instants of quantile regression (MMQR). The only element that positively impacts environmental sustainability across all quantile groups is the switch to Green energy. Reducing CO2 emissions and increasing economic development are characteristics of the low-quantile group. While the median quantile group does see a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth remains stagnant.

Delineating the embodied CO2 emissions in Canada's exports: Routes, drivers, and paths

AbstractThis study combined the World Input–Output Database and Asian Development Bank's Multiregional Input–Output database to investigate Canada's embodied CO2 emissions in exports (EEE) for the period of 2000–2018. We examined the key drivers and paths through structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis. First, the results showed that embodied emissions in the intermediate exports were the major contributor to Canada's EEE, and emission paths involving more than three countries were on the rise, indicating that the expansion of the global industrial supply chains has complicated the paths of Canada's EEE. Second, the factors such as emission intensity of sectors, export structure, and export scale, had varying influences on Canada's EEE over time. For several sectors, the benefit from reduced emission intensity was largely offset by the additional emissions from the increased export scale. Hence, the design of emission regulations should consider the heterogeneity of industrial sectors in order to mitigate emissions for the diverse industries in Canada. Third, energy and resource industries (e.g., electricity, petroleum, wood, metals, and so on) played an essential role in Canada's exports. A significant amount of embodied emissions was transferred from these sectors to the downstream sectors along the supply chain, indicating that abatement measures should be adopted from the whole life cycle perspective of a product/service through an integrated governance of the supply chain. This article met the requirements for a Gold–Silver JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges.

Evaluation and impact factors of international competitiveness of China’s cobalt industry from the perspective of trade networks

In recent years, with the development of the new energy industry, the demand for cobalt as a raw material for power batteries has been increasing. However, China itself has a shortage of cobalt resources. Therefore, overcoming poor resource conditions and enhancing the international competitiveness of the cobalt industry have become urgent issues. This paper is based on global trade data on cobalt resources from 2007 to 2020. A panel regression model is constructed from the perspective of trade networks, and Entropy-Topsis is used to construct a comprehensive evaluation index system for the international competitiveness of critical nonferrous metals. This study empirically examines the impact of the trade network characteristics of cobalt resources on international competitiveness, assigns practical significance to trade network characteristic indicators, and analyses the overall competitiveness changes in the global cobalt industry chain and its upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. The research findings reveal the following key points: (1) In recent years, the competitive focus of the cobalt industry chain in various countries has shifted from upstream and midstream to midstream and downstream, with increasingly fierce trade competition downstream, gradually tilting toward countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China. (2) Cobalt trade competition, which was initially characterized by competition among multiple countries, has gradually become more centralized and stable, with differences in the competitiveness of various countries occurring at different stages of the cobalt industry chain. (3) Network centrality and network heterogeneity both have a significant promoting effect on the international competitiveness of the industry, while network connectivity has a significant inhibitory effect on the improvement of international competitiveness.On this basis, the study also suggests some policy implications. The purpose of the study is to enhance the international competitiveness of China's cobalt industry from a trade perspective and to investigate the developments of cobalt trade between China and the rest of the world.

ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING IN OPTIMIZING INVENTORY MANAGEMENT ACROSS GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING & SUPPLY CHAIN: A MULTI-COUNTRY REVIEW

This study examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) on inventory management within global industrial manufacturing and supply chains, particularly in the context of Industry 4.0. Through a comparative analysis across several countries, the research analyzes quantitative and qualitative data to assess the adoption and integration of these technologies and their implications for supply chain optimization. The research methodology includes a comprehensive literature review using multiple databases and expert interviews conducted within a specific timeframe. The study identifies a significant favorable influence of AI and ML on enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving real-time data analytics and predictive maintenance. It highlights the evolution from theoretical potential to practical applications, with an increased focus on regulatory compliance and data integrity, reflecting the industry's maturation in digital integration. Furthermore, the study explores the strategic role of AI and ML in process design and the holistic adoption of Industry 4.0 principles across the supply chain. The findings contribute to the academic literature by detailing the benefits and challenges of AI and ML implementation, offering insights for future research and practical applications in the supply chain sector. The conclusion emphasizes the transformative potential of AI and ML, advocating for their strategic implementation to foster resilience and adaptability in supply chain networks.

Resilience assessment of trade network in copper industry chain and the risk resistance capacity of core countries: Based on complex network

Copper is a critical mineral for the energy transition, facing significant risks of supply disruptions. To explore the copper industry chain's resistance to such risks, this article constructs a trade network for the global copper industry chain based on complex network methods, utilizing 2022 data on copper ores and concentrates, blister copper, refined copper, copper semis, and copper waste and scrap. It assesses the industry's resilience from both static and dynamic perspectives, and analyzes the risk resistance capacity of core countries. The results indicate that: (1) in the copper industry chain, copper semis, copper waste and scrap exhibit a relatively high level of overall resilience, but copper ores and concentrates, blister copper, and refined copper display a lower level of overall resilience. This indicates that the upstream of the copper industry chain is more susceptible to external factors than that of the downstream. (2) Targeted factors such as economic sanctions and trade disputes have a more serious impact on the copper industry chain than random factors such as natural disasters and transportation interruptions. Meanwhile, targeted factors have a stronger impact on the transmission efficiency and connectivity of the network. (3) There are significant communities in the copper industry chain, with some core countries playing an important role in connecting the network. In terms of connectivity, influence, and control, developed countries represented by the United States and the United Kingdom are stronger than the other two groups; emerging developed countries like Japan and South Korea exhibit lower propagation and intermediary capacities; emerging industrialized countries represented by Brazil and South Africa fall somewhere between the first two. Additionally, China and India demonstrate relatively important influence within the copper industry chain. Finally, this article provides policy recommendations for maintaining the stability of the copper industry chain and enhancing its resilience.

A new method for measuring industrial chain risk exposure: A regional perspective in China

AbstractWe extend the existing framework for decomposition of production length structure in global value chains and propose a novel concept and measure of industrial chain risk exposure on both the demand‐side and supply‐side at the region‐sector level in China. Using data from WIOD, ADB‐MRIOT, and China's multi‐regional input‐output tables, we measure and analyze the industrial chain risk exposures, and risk‐return ratios on the demand‐side and supply‐side of each region‐sector in China from 2002 to 2017. Our results reveal the following key insights: First, inland regions exhibit high domestic industrial chain risk exposures, while coastal regions have high global industrial chain risk exposures, a pattern consistent at the region‐industry level. Furthermore, demand‐side industrial chain risk exposures surpass supply‐side exposures within region‐sectors. Second, High‐tech manufacturing industries display greater risk exposure compared to other sectors. Third, Guangdong and Shanghai, as the main regions of China's international trade, share similar global industrial chain risk exposures to those of Germany and South Korea. Fourth, the bilateral demand‐side exposures of the industrial chains in each region are asymmetric.

Research on the impact of industrial innovation determinants in China

ABSTRACT China's industries have been positioned at lower and mid-range of the global industrial chain. On the basis of the latest China Economic Census, the effects of external technology acquisition and internal research and development (R&D) efforts on the innovation performance of Chinese industrial enterprises are examined. The results demonstrate that the levels of R&D intensity, patent output and innovation capability of Chinese industrial enterprises are still very low. Independent R&D has become the most vital source of technological innovation. External technology acquisition significantly inhibits the impact of internal R&D on patent production. In addition, the critical role of independent R&D in the innovation performance of Chinese industrial enterprises is confirmed. This study is of theoretical value and practical significance for promoting the industrial innovation advantages, accelerating the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy and upgrading industrial structure.

Detecting the horizontal/vertical price relationship patterns in the global oil industry chain through network analysis

The investigation of price relationship patterns within the horizontal regional and vertical industry chain domains of oil market represents a crucial yet under-researched area. This study tackles the inherent complexities in identifying these patterns, arising from three key challenges: the presence of numerous downstream petrochemical products, the interconnectedness of oil product prices across two domains, and the existence of price influence loop. To address these challenges, this study selected 51 oil products from various regions and different segments of oil industry chain, and calculated and tested their price lead-lag relationships. Subsequently, we established and analyzed the price lead-lag relationship networks within two domains. Furthermore, we expanded network topological structure analysis from a single domain to encompass both domains. Finally, employing the network motif analysis method, we successfully detected the price relationship patterns, taking into consideration the intricate nature of price influence loops. Our findings illuminate the general characteristics of the oil market within two domains but also shed light on previous ignored price lead-lag relationships. The thorough analysis and conclusions drawn from this study offer detailed policy implications to downstream refineries and policy makers.

Research on Business Environment Issues in Guangdong Qianhai Free Trade Zone

At a time when China's economy is entering a new normal and realizing high-quality medium-speed growth, it is inextricably linked to the forty-two years of reform and opening up. As a pioneer of reform and opening up, Guangdong Province has been at the forefront of domestic economic development, demonstrating courage and practice in response to the changes of the times. As China's relationship with the world economy grows closer, changes in the international economy have prompted the deepening of regional economic integration and international trade. The application of free trade in international trade has been increasing, and FTAs have been widely practiced globally. As the world's second largest economic complex, China is still in the developing stage of free trade zone reform and practice compared with other developed countries. Wang Linghao (2019) pointed out that China's value and status in the global economy is increasing, and the development of free trade zones can help to enhance China's position in the global industrial chain. He emphasized that the influence of free trade can be enhanced through the development of free trade zones and the influence of the "Belt and Road" policy. Wang Under the guiding ideology of deepening reform and opening up of FTZs, China has promoted the experimentation and construction of Guangdong Qianhai FTZ and Hainan FTZ. Although the specific research on the business environment of Guangdong Qianhai FTZ has not yet formed a scale, it can be seen from the development research of other domestic FTZs that the business environment has an important impact on the construction of free trade zones. Therefore, this paper will deeply analyze the current situation and relevant initiatives of the business environment in Guangdong Qianhai FTZ from various aspects.

Risk spillovers of carbon emissions in international trade: the role of disembodied technology communications

Carbon emission reduction is an important means of achieving climate policy goals. However, the literature has neglected consideration of the carbon emission reduction mechanism from the perspective of technology risk spillovers in international trade. To explore this mechanism, this paper expands the classical linear model of foreign trade technology risk spillovers into a nonlinear spatial Durbin model. We construct a novel technology risk spillover index to forecast the magnitude of carbon emissions in agricultural trade across different regions. To validate our model, we consider the dual connotation of the spatial diffusion of disembodied technology communication (DTC) to map the relationships between different geographic and economic regions that are adjacent. The results suggest that disembodied technology risk spillover could promote carbon emission reductions. Specifically, technology risk spillovers from agricultural trade reduce agricultural carbon emissions by 0.79–1.16% in the local region. Disembodied technology risk spillovers also reduce agricultural carbon emissions by 2.85–11.57% in geographically adjacent regions and 4.9% in economically adjacent regions. Based on these conclusions, this paper proposes improving the closed and backward situation of rural areas in China’s central and western regions, promoting the transition toward the high end of the global agricultural industry chain and developing productive agricultural services and the rural cultural tourism industry to expand rural employment channels and stabilize farmers’ income.

The Mechanism of Digital Economy in Promoting the Transformation and Upgrading of China’s Manufacturing Industry

The era of China's digital economy has arrived, Chinese government is actively exploring how to use the technological changes brought about by the digital economy to promote China's economic development in the next 30 years. As the pillar industry of China's economy, manufacturing has maintained rapid growth in the past 30 years and has made great contributions to China's economic development. However, there are also many challenges at present, such as,China's manufacturing industry is at the low end of the global industrial chain, and the added value is very low; Backward technology and poor competitiveness in the international market. In this context, this paper analyzes the impact of the digital economy on the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry from a qualitative perspective ,attempts to explore the way how China's manufacturing industry can use digital technology to achieve intelligent transformation, value chain upgrading, and industrial structure upgrading, so as to achieve comprehensive transformation and upgrading , in the end, gain long-term development momentum.