Spatial Imbalance Research Articles

Analysis on spatial difference and spillover effect of development resilience index of sports industry: A case study of 285 cities in China.

The sustainable development of the sports industry has garnered extensive attention worldwide. In this study, after a rigorous explanation of the connotation of the sports industry development resilience coefficient (SIDRC), the Topsis model and exploratory spatial data analysis were comprehensively employed to evaluate and visualize the SIDRC of 285 cities in China. Additionally, a spatial econometric model was constructed to explore the influencing factors of SIDRC. The major conclusions drawn from this study are as follow: (1) While the SIDRC has improved significantly over the study period, it still remains overall at a low level of resilience with a widening gap between cities. (2) A strong spatial imbalance exists in the distribution of SIDRC, with coastal regions demonstrating greater resilience compared to the central and western regions, and provincial capital cities faring better than other cities. (3) Policy support index, economic development level, structural diversity of the sports industry, and social participation play crucial roles in promoting SIDRC. Finally, social participation has a positive impact on SIDRC in neighboring cities by facilitating resource sharing, market expansion, and extending the industrial chain. The paper concludes by offering recommendations such as increasing the construction of sports markets and public participation, which can optimize the layout of the sports industry and enhance industrial development resilience.

Regional differences and determinants of environmental efficiency in China's road transportation industry

The spatial imbalance of road transportation hinders environmental efficiency (EE) improvement. Moreover, the driving factors and evolutionary characteristics of EE regional differences remain unclear. To clarify these, we calculate the EE of thirty Chinese provincial road transportation industries from 2008 to 2020. We also investigate regional difference decomposition and EE evolution trends while exploring the drivers of EE in three regions. The results show that the overall EE presented a fluctuating upward trend and evident spatial differences. Transvariation intensity was the primary source of the widening gaps in provincial EEs nationwide. Additionally, technological progress and increasing water and railway transport contribute to improving the eastern region's EE while decreasing the EE of the central region. Rising population scale improves the EE of the eastern and central regions, while strict environmental regulation improves the western region's EE. Road infrastructure improvements prominently increase the EEs in all three regions.

Defining left behind places: an internationally comparative poset analysis

Abstract There is considerable debate in the literature as to the precise definition of ‘left-behind’ places, and the appropriate metrics for identifying them, and for successfully targeting regional policy interventions. We propose an evaluation structure for ‘left-behindness’ based on Amartya Sen’s capability approach, and argue that the diversity of criteria should not be seen as a shortcoming, but rather as a richness to be explored. We show, through the use of ‘posets’ and Hasse diagrams, that there are several distinct ‘structures of left-behindness’ across European NUTS 2 regions, revealing spatial imbalances that do not conform to a ‘one size fits all’ narrative.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Green Energy Development in China

The development of non-conventional energy sources is not only an important guarantee for national energy security but also a key support for the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. However, there is limited knowledge of the spatial and temporal patterns and changing characteristics of green energy development in China. Here, based on the energy production and consumption data of the last decade, we combined the gravity center model and statistical model to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of non-conventional energy in 31 provinces of China. The research results show: (1) under the impetus of the development of green low-carbon and ecological civilization strategy, the rate of increase in the production of non-conventional energy in China and the proportion of it increase year by year, and the energy structure obviously presents the characteristics of being low-carbon and cleaner. (2) For the spatial patterns of non-conventional energy development, due to the development of wind power and photovoltaic constraints by natural resource conditions and technology, their development trend is best in northeast, north, and northwest China. (3) The generation of PV and wind power is dominated by northwest China and north China, and the generation of nuclear power is dominated by southeast China, whereas the consumption is dominated by east China and central China; there is an obvious spatial imbalance between non-conventional energy production and consumption. (4) The proportion of photovoltaics in non-conventional energy production has increased significantly over the 2010–2020 period, which is the main driver of the overall shift in the gravity center of non-conventional energy production towards the northwest region of China. (5) In recent years, the gradual transfer of industries from the east to the central and western regions of China and the improvement in the economic level of the western regions have led to an increase in energy production and consumption, promoting a shift in the gravity center of energy production and consumption to the west. Overall, the structural transformation of China’s energy production and consumption (from a high-carbon black structure to a low-carbon and carbon-free green structure) is progressing, and some provinces have achieved significant results, presenting a non-conventional energy industry in accordance with local conditions and the development trend of the non-conventional energy industry.

From the coast to the interior: global economic evolution patterns and mechanisms

It is well established that nighttime light brightness value, which is measured from satellites, correlates with economic prosperity across the globe. Researchers have diverged over whether economic factors cluster in coastal areas or move to interior areas. By using nighttime light data and applying the random forest algorithm to measure the proportion of global “near regions” GDP, it was seen that global GDP decreased from 67.25% in 2000 to 63.02% in 2018. This research reveals that under the continuous promotion of economic globalization, there is still a spatial imbalance of economic development between global “near regions” and “far regions”; however, economic factors are gradually shifting to interior areas and forming a “coastal remoteness” evolution pattern. Within the intercontinental range, there are obvious differences in the evolution patterns and spatial structure of economic development between the sub-regions. The reduction of overseas transportation costs and diseconomies of scale are the primary reasons for the evolution of “coastal remoteness” in global economic development. Our findings can facilitate future policymaking and the management of global coastal and interior areas, as well as establish new horizons for relevant research topics within the context of land and marine-coordinated development.

Precipitation regime changes in High Mountain Asia driven by cleaner air.

High Mountain Asia (HMA) has experienced a spatial imbalance in water resources in recent decades, partly because of a dipolar pattern of precipitation changes known as South Drying-North Wetting1. These changes can be influenced by both human activities and internal climate variability2,3. Although climate projections indicate a future widespread wetting trend over HMA1,4, the timing and mechanism of the transition from a dipolar to a monopolar pattern remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that the observed dipolar precipitation change in HMA during summer is primarily driven by westerly- and monsoon-associated precipitation patterns. The weakening of the Asian westerly jet, caused by the uneven emission of anthropogenic aerosols, favoured a dipolar precipitation trend from 1951 to 2020. Moreover, the phase transition of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation induces an out-of-phase precipitation change between the core region of the South Asian monsoon and southeastern HMA. Under medium- or high-emission scenarios, corresponding to a global warming of 0.6-1.1 °C compared with the present, the dipolar pattern is projected to shift to a monopolar wetting trend in the 2040s. This shift in precipitation patterns is mainly attributed to the intensified jet stream resulting from reduced emissions of anthropogenic aerosols. These findings underscore the importance of considering the impact of aerosol emission reduction in future social planning by policymakers.

Regional differences and dynamic evolution of agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China.

Improving water resources utilization efficiency is conducive to achieving the sustainable development of water resources. It is essential to explore the regional differences and dynamic evolution of agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China to promote high-quality development of agriculture. In this study, based on the unexpected output, we build a super slack-based measure model to measure agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China's provinces from 2007 to 2018. In addition, we use the Dagum Gini coefficient to analyze the source of regional differences. Finally, we construct the distributed dynamics model to explore the distribution of the dynamic evolution trend of China's agricultural water resources utilization efficiency. The results reveal that regional difference is the main source of the overall difference in agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China. Spatial imbalance exists in the development of agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in China. The agricultural water resources utilization efficiency in various provinces and regions of China is relatively stable, having the characteristics of club convergence. The probability of maintaining the initial state is high, and the internal mobility is low. However, with time, the degree of club convergence decreases.

Coupling coordination between the ecological environment and urbanization in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration

The rapid development of urban agglomerations has endangered the eco-environment. It is critical to research the coupling coordination between the eco-environment and urbanization to promote regional sustainable development. The aim of this study is to investigate the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between the eco-environment and urbanization in the MRYRUA and to identify the key factors influencing the CCD. Based on the remote sensing perspective, this study used the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) and comprehensive nighttime light index (CNLI) to measure the eco-environment and urbanization level of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration (MRYRUA). Then, based on the CCD model, the relationship between the eco-environment and urbanization was evaluated. The geographical detector was utilized to analyze the key factors. The results showed the following: (1) both the eco-environment and urbanization of the MRYRUA show a fluctuating upward trend, and the change rate of urbanization is greater than that of the eco-environment. (2) The overall coupling level of the MRYRUA changes from moderate unbalanced coupling to moderate balanced coupling, and the distribution of the CCD presents spatial imbalance. The coupling level of the central region is higher than that of the peripheral cities, and the coupling level of the provincial capital cities is higher than that of other cities. (3) The explanatory power of socioeconomic factors in the CCD is higher than that of natural factors in the single-factor detection; urban green space (UGS) plays the most significant role in the interaction detection. (4) RSEI has a negative correlation with the CCD, while the CNLI has a positive correlation with the CCD. The development of urbanization has played a decisive role in the CCD. The results provide a scientific foundation on which the MRYRUA can achieve sustainable urban development.

Estimating sustainability and regional inequalities using an enhanced sustainable development index in China

Accelerating warming has led to intensified natural disasters and a lower margin for greenhouse gas emissions, affecting both development sustainability and regional inequalities. However, the impacts have seldom been studied, especially in fast-developing countries with large annual CO2 emissions and frequent agricultural disasters, such as China. We have developed an enhanced sustainable development index (ESDI), which retains the base formula of the sustainable development index (SDI) but restructures the ecological component, replacing the material footprint (MF) with agricultural disaster intensity. The modification avoids overestimation of carbon emission impacts and incorporates a new dimension into sustainability estimation. The temporal variabilities and spatial imbalance of the China ESDI were characterized in 1997-2018 using linear trends, hot spots, the Thiel index, and variation coefficient analysis. The results showed 1) an overall ESDI decrease in China with differences between northern and southern half China (north decreasing and south increasing) and 2) the spatial inequities of development sustainability, mainly arising from the northern half China, continued to increase. The low sustainability clustered in the northern half, and the high sustainability clustered in the southern half. Correspondingly, the development sustainability of the former was more imbalanced than that of the latter. 3) The dramatic CO2 emissions increase since the late 2000s mainly accounts for the ESDI decrease in all of China and the northern half of China and is responsible for the enlarging sustainability imbalance as well.

Coupling analysis and driving factors between carbon emission intensity and high-quality economic development: Evidence from the Yellow River Basin, China

This study aims to explore the complex dynamic relationship between carbon emission intensity (CEI) and high-quality economic development (HQED) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), with the goal of fostering ecological protection and high-quality development strategies. However, there is limited knowledge on the comprehensive development level, evolutionary trends, and driving factors of these two systems in the YRB. To address this, the study uses multiple methodologies, including nighttime light data, the entropy-topsis method, the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM), exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), and the geodetector model, to examine the coupling coordination relationship and driving factors between CEI and HQED across sixty cities in the YRB from 2010 to 2019. The results reveal a decreasing trend in CEI and a “U”-shaped development trend for HQED, characterized by low coordination and significant spatial imbalance. Moreover, per capita GDP, population density, urbanization level, industrial structure, and energy intensity are found to have significant driving effects on the CCD. Based on the results, the study suggests policies to boost the CCD between CEI and HQED. These involve promoting green transitions, endorsing spatially tailored development strategies, and implementing interventions on major CCD drivers for balanced growth. It also proposes refining regional governance and establishing an innovation fund for green technologies, particularly beneficial for underdeveloped regions. These policy implications could guide economic development and emission reduction strategies in ecologically fragile and economically underdeveloped regions.

New northern voices: Black British writing and the devolving politics of prize culture

ABSTRACTRepresentations of Black British life have long been concentrated in London. The capital occupies the centre of Britain’s post-imperial imaginary and its literary economy, with Manchester at the fore of attempts to address cultural inequalities, from George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse agenda to regional outposts of the BBC and major publishers. Amidst increasing decentralizing momentum, this article proposes that literary awards are key in what James Procter and Corinne Fowler call the “devolution” of Black British writing. Focusing on Manchester’s Portico Prize for the book that “best evokes the spirit of the North of England”, I trace the award’s approach to “racial diversity” and “the North” since 1985, identifying a creative economy framework in which a “placed” literary northernness exists in tension with the centralized Black British discourse. Overall, this article suggests that literary awards articulate in new ways the spatial imbalances within Britain’s literary and political economies.

Evaluation of Urban Resource Environmental Carrying Capacity and Land Spatial Development Suitability in a Semiarid Area of the Yellow River Basin

At present, the carrying capacity of resources and the environment in some areas has reached an upper limit, and the problems of ecological destruction and environmental pollution have become increasingly prominent. The overexploitation and disorderly development of land space, resulting in the spatial imbalance between the population economy and the resource environment, is one of the root causes of excessive resource consumption, ecological degradation, and environmental pollution. Resource and environmental carrying capacity and suitability evaluation of land space development is the basis of land space planning. It provides conditions for the modernization of land space governance. The framework provided by the “ Double Evaluation Guide (Trial) “ is universal. It is necessary to adapt it to local conditions and to achieve the ” Double Evalution” results, according to the characteristics of regional development. Taking Hohhot as the research area, which is based on the “Guide”, involves selecting convincing and credible evaluation factors and using the single factor integration method and the discriminant matrix method. The “double evaluation” of Hohhot was also analyzed. This provides basic data for regional high-quality development and land space planning. The results show the following: (1) The ecological function of Hohhot is good. The areas with low importance for ecological protection accounted for about 18%, the areas with medium ecological protection accounted for about 62%, and the areas with high ecological protection accounted for about 21%. (2) The carrying capacity of agricultural function in Hohhot is medium. The carrying capacity of the low polar region accounted for about 23%, the medium polar region’s carrying capacity accounted for about 71%, and the high polar region’s carrying capacity accounted for about 6%. (3) The urban function carrying capacity of Hohhot is medium. The carrying capacity of the low-grade area accounted for about 25%, the medium-grade area’s carrying capacity accounted for about 55%, and the high-grade area’s carrying capacity accounted for about 21%. (4) The overall agricultural production suitability grade of Hohhot is not suitable. (5) The suitability of urban construction in Hohhot is general. The unsuitable area accounts for about 40%, the more suitable area accounts for about 45%, and the most suitable area accounts for about 15%.

Regional Differences, Dynamic Evolution and Convergence of Carbon Emissions from Rural Residents’ Living Consumption: Evidence from China

Actively exploring a reduction in carbon emissions from rural residents’ living consumption (RRLC) is necessary to address climate change and achieve high-quality development of the rural economy. Based on the measurement of the carbon emissions from RRLC in China between the years 2000 and 2021, and it uncovers regional differences, dynamic evolution and convergence. The main findings are as follows: (1) Using the Dagum Gini coefficient, it was found that the differences in carbon emissions from RRLC in the nationwide and low-income level group (LLLG), low-middle-income level group (LMLG), upper-middle-income level group (UMLG), and high-income level group (HHLG) are all significantly decreasing, and the intensity of transvariation is the primary source of the overall difference. (2) Using the kernel density estimation, it was found that the level of carbon emissions from RRLC in the nationwide and the four major regions have generally gone upward, as well as a polarisation phenomenon. (3) Using the Markov chain, it was shown that there is an instability in the carbon emissions from RRLC, which can be transferred downward to the ideal state, but there is also a risk of increasing the upward shift of carbon emissions. (4) The nationwide level and the four regions showed typical σ convergence characteristics and absolute β convergence. After considering the influence of socio-economic and natural climatic factors, conditions β convergence trend is shown. And there are significant regional differences in spatial β convergence. The limitation of this study is that the data on carbon emissions from RRLC are only obtained at the macro level, which cannot accurately reflect the micro and individual impact on RRLC. On this basis, the paper puts forward policy recommendations to reduce the spatial imbalance of carbon emissions from RRLC.

The Equity of Basic Educational Facilities from the Perspective of Space

Basic education pursues “balance” and “quality” under the premise of “universalization”. High-quality and balanced education is the general strategy of international education. We used urban network tools to measure the spatial equity of three types of basic educational facilities (kindergarten, primary school, and middle school) in the main urban area of Lanzhou City, China, from the perspective of supply and demand. This can optimize the allocation of educational facilities, and make up for the shortage of basic educational facilities. It can also provide a scientific reference and new ideas for research on public service facilities. The conclusions are: (1) The distribution of basic educational facilities presented a typical pattern of belt-shaped clusters, river trends, and dense east and sparse west. The spatial dislocation between facilities and residential buildings was significant and occurred in numerous instances. (2) The supply of basic educational facilities was weak. There were significant differences in spatial accessibility among different types and regions. The spatial accessibility of kindergartens (34.83%) was the best with regard to walking conditions, followed by primary schools (27.43%) and middle schools (21.11%). (3) The distribution of basic educational facilities was affected by factors such as historical development, natural geography, social economies, and the travel behaviors of residents; (4) It is necessary to improve the problem of spatial imbalance through the implementation of refined planning management and resource allocation of infrastructure, the construction of a “community life circle”, and the establishment of an early warning mechanism for academic degree attainment combined with big data.

Research on the balanced geographic allocation of medical facilities in Shenzhen City based on the hierarchical medical system

Abstract Objective: Based on the hierarchical medical system, this study evaluated the accessibility of medical facilities (MFs), analyzed their geographic allocation, and put forward suggestions for the balanced allocation of MFs in Shenzhen. Methods: This study implemented a 2-step floating catchment area method to evaluate the accessibility of MFs. Statistical and spatial analysis methods were used to analyze the spatial characteristics and service equity of accessibility in Shenzhen. Results: The spatial allocation of the accessibility of low-level MFs in Shenzhen was characterized by the emergence of point-like high-accessibility areas in a large low-accessibility area. Here, there is the problem of insufficient service capacity, which limits the implementation of the hierarchical medical system. The spatial characteristics of the accessibility of high-level MFs in Shenzhen included a high degree of agglomeration, large differences inside and outside the original special economic zone, and large areas with weak accessibility. There was a spatial imbalance in the overall accessibility of MFs, wherein individuals with higher incomes typically have better and more equitable accessibility. Conclusions: A balanced geographic allocation of MFs can ensure the implementation of the hierarchical medical system and enhance the equity of medical services. Strategies for balanced geographic allocation of MFs are proposed as follows: comprehensively improving the service capacity and construction standards of community healthcare centers; promoting the construction of primary hospitals and community hospitals in areas with a high population density; establishing additional secondary hospitals and tertiary hospitals in areas with low accessibility to high-level MFs; and encouraging coordinated urban development and MFs construction.

Location Suitability Evaluation and Spatial Optimization of Self-Driving Camps in Xinjiang

Irregular tourism seasons and insufficient momentum in the development of new tourism modes disrupt the supply and demand balance between the development of self-driving tourism and the number of corresponding service facilities in Xinjiang. This constrains the growth of regional comprehensive benefits. This paper constructs an index system for evaluating the location suitability of self-driving camps in Xinjiang by the Delphi method; obtains DEM data, GIS data, POI data, and statistical data; and uses a combination of subjective and objective evaluation to calculate index weights. ArcGIS raster analysis and the P-median model were used to study the location suitability and spatial optimization strategies for self-driving tourism camps in Xinjiang. The results of this study are as follows: (1) An evaluation system for the suitability of self-driving camp locations in Xinjiang is constructed from the supply side and the demand side. (2) Self-driving camps in Xinjiang have a large supply capacity gap between counties and cities. (3) The overall suitability of the demand for self-driving camps in Xinjiang is low to moderate. (4) There exists a spatial imbalance in the suitability of the supply and demand for self-driving tourism camps in Xinjiang. (5) A total of 65 campsites were proposed for self-driving tours in Xinjiang considering spatial optimization. (6) Xinjiang should strengthen the matching of self-driving camps with tourism resources and traffic routes, and produce self-driving tour business maps with complete self-driving tour supporting facilities and services.

A Study on the Spatial Distribution and Gradient Transfer of Atmospheric Pollution Intensive Industries Such as the Thermal Power Industry in Hebei Province

Owing to a long-term, extensive development model and inadequate industrial development planning, cases of atmospheric environment pollution frequently occur in Hebei province. By using such approaches as the Spatial Gini Coefficient, the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index and location entropy, this paper analyzes the spatial-distribution characteristics of atmospheric pollution-intensive industries such as the thermal power industry in Hebei province. As shown, atmospheric pollution-intensive industries, such as the thermal power industry in Hebei province, excessively cluster. As industrial agglomeration continuously intensifies, the spatial imbalance becomes increasingly prominent. Taking the number of days with excellent air quality as a benchmark, this paper divides prefecture-level cities of Hebei province into four types of industrial management and designs targeted strategies for the optimization of atmospheric pollution-intensive industries, such as the thermal power industry. In terms of policies, Type I and Type II cities are advised to strengthen the transfer of atmospheric pollution-intensive industries such as the thermal power industry, and Type III and Type IV cities are advised to improve capacities in atmospheric self-purification and green-technology innovation in a bid to help government departments to scientifically manage atmospheric pollution-intensive industries such as the thermal power industry.

Coupling coordination analysis and spatiotemporal heterogeneity between ecosystem services and new-type urbanization: A case study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China

As a strategy for building a beautiful China, new-type urbanization (NTU) has an impact on the regional ecological security pattern. Clarifying the coupling coordination relationship between NTU and ecosystem services (ESs) can help ecological protection and high-quality coordinated development. The methods of this paper are as follows. Firstly, the integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model is used to calculate ESs, and then evaluate the level of NTU from multiple dimensions. On this basis, the coupling coordination degree model and the relative development model are used to analyze the coupling relationship between ESs and NTU. The results indicate that the ESs in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) decreased, from 2000 to 2020. The level of NTU continues to improve, but the spatial imbalance is more prominent. ESs and NTU are significantly negatively correlated, with population, economic, land, and infrastructural urbanization having a more detrimental effect on ESs overall. In general, the coupling coordination relationship between Es and NTU changes from intermediate coordination to primary coordination, and the spatial manifestation was “high in the east and low in the west” and the dependence was strong. Most areas show lagging ES disorders. To achieve an orderly breakthrough in the steady-state phase while adhering to the law of coupled coercive development, as well as to serve as a guide for making decisions to create a YREB model with clear skies, lush vegetation, stunning mountains, and harmony between people and the land.

Unveiling the comprehensive resources and environmental efficiency and its influencing factors: Within and across the five urban agglomerations in Northwest China

Promoting the comprehensive resources and environmental efficiency (CREE) in urban agglomerations (UAs) is of great practical significance for China’s sustainable development. However, CREE in UAs of underdeveloped regions has not received enough attention. Under this background, we constructed a systematic and coherent framework to study CREE and took the five UAs of Northwest China as a case. The super epsilon-based measure (EBM) model was performed to quantify CREE during 2000–2017. Subsequently, we analyzed the spatio-temporal patterns in detail. Through the Super-EBM and GTWR (geographically and temporally weighted regression) model, the endogenous components and exogenous determinants of CREE were examined. The results indicated that the CREE in the five UAs of Northwest China underwent a slight decrease as a whole, and showed an intensified spatial divergence. It exhibited an obvious discontinuity and path bifurcation while being negatively correlated with spatial imbalance across the UAs. The CREE of different UAs showed various spatial distribution characteristics. Regarding the endogenous mechanism, the UAs had certain commonalities and characteristics. The exogenous mechanism manifested certain spatial heterogeneity across UAs while it was generally consistent within each single UA. These results could provide insightful recommendations for the resources and environmental governance in the study area and other similar regions.

The short-range and remote analysis of virtual water trade in China

The pattern of virtual water trade within a region or region has a certain complexity. This paper uses multi-regional input-output models, local and tele-coupling theory, and geographical detectors to analyze the short-range and remote spatial pattern, change trends, and influencing factors of China's virtual water trade, which has essential research significance for the sustainable development and utilization of water resources. The results are as follows: (1) The water footprint and virtual water trade of each province in China are more likely to occur between the provinces close to each other, the local distance average distance is below 500 km, and the remote average distance is between 1100 km and 2000 km; (2) China's short-range inflow and outflow water footprint has always been the main dependent part of China's consumption and production end water resources, especially the local water footprint. The contribution of the remote water footprint has gradually been "replaced" by the short-range water footprint, and water resources only form a "small cycle" between the local and surrounding areas, becoming the main pattern of sustainable utilization of water resources in China; (3) The flow pattern of water resources in China still has a spatial imbalance and agglomeration effects. Regions with abundant water resources are net inflow and net import regions in both short-range and remote, and the net inflow and net outflow values in remote are higher than those in short-range; (4) The virtual water trade in all provinces of China tends to be close to each other. The "flow" in the trade network is mainly concentrated in the link path below 800 km. The interaction of various "flows" in short-range and remote virtual water trade results in fewer "flows" on one side and more on the other side in the industrial link path. Local virtual water trade has become an important guarantee and foundation for the utilization of water resources in all provinces and an important auxiliary to the total import virtual water trade; (5) The correlation of socio-economic factors to China's short-range and remote virtual water trade is higher than that of natural factors and scientific and technological factors. The interaction of factors contribution of a single factor more thoroughly and even far exceeds the sum of the contribution of two single factors, which can better explain the formation and change of near and long-distance virtual water trade patterns and flow on the link path.