Spatial Interaction Between the Industrial Undertaking Capacity and Global Value Chain Position of East Asian Countries

A comprehensive understanding of the spatial interaction between the industrial undertaking capability and the position of the global value chain of the 12 East Asian countries is conducive to strengthening regional cooperation, gaining a say in foreign trade and becoming the dominant player in the global division of labor system. The article reveals the operating rules of the interaction between the industrial undertaking capacity and the global value chain position of East Asian countries by calculating the Global Moran Index(Moran’s I), coupling coordination degree and other indicators. The results show that: in time, the values of industrial undertaking capacity and the positions of global value chain in East Asian countries showed a sustained and stable growth trend, and have a consistent trend of change. Spatially, both of the two indexes had significant positive spatial correlation, with Moran’s I showing an ‘inverted U’pattern, and the spatial aggregation distribution of global value chain position lagged behind the spatial aggregation distribution of industrial undertaking capacity by one year. In terms of spatial coupling coordination, the coupling coordination values of the two indicators show a steady upward trend. Combined with the comparative advantage of each country, this paper provides suggestions for promoting the positions of Chinese and other East Asian industries in the global value chain from the perspectives of enhancing independent innovation capability and upgrading industrial structure.

Digital Trade Rules and the Position of Chinese Enterprises in the Global Value Chain

Digital trade rules and higher positions of enterprises in the global value chain(GVC)are both important topics in the context of high-quality economic development.This paper refers to the data of RTA digital trade rules concluded by China in the TAPED database in 2000-2014 and the matched data in the WIOD database,the China Customs Import and Export Database and the China Industrial Enterprise Database to investigate the effects of digital trade rules on Chinese enterprises as to their ascending GVC positions.It finds that signing the RTA digital trade rules can steadily and significantly promote the position ascendance;compared with the digitalization rules on trading objects,signing the digitalization rules on trade modes produces greater effects of driving up the positions,which are realized mainly via the three channels of advancing cross-border flow of R&D factors,promoting corporate digital transformation,and improving professional management.Digital trade rules that are horizontally broader and vertically deeper are in greater favor of Chinese enterprises for ascending in the global value chain,which is especially evident among those in digital industry and processing trade.During the negotiations of digital trade rules,it's imperative to pay close attention to the rules on e-commerce cooperation,awareness of e-commerce importance,intellectual property protection,attempts in big data-related trade in goods,and cross-border data flow,so as to secure the core interests of Chinese enterprises in gaining higher positions.This paper offers great policy implications as to how to sign digital trade rules by China in the future and how to select partners in greater support for Chinese enterprises to ascend to the middle and high end of the global value chain.

Human Capital Expansion and Global Value Chain Upgrading:Firm-level Evidence from China

Firms actively participate in the production of the global value chain(GVC),which is an important driving force for economic development.Using a difference-in-difference method,our research shows that industries that are relatively more human-capital intensive experienced a larger GVC position upgrading after 2003 than they had in prior years.Second,mechanism analysis shows that human capital expansion increases firms’GVC position not only through an imported intermediate input effect but also through an innovation effect.Third,this study shows that increases in the college-educated labor force have a heterogeneous effect on a firm's GVC position across firms’various characteristics.Human capital expansion has the largest positive effect on state-owned firms relative to foreign and domestic private firms.Human capital expansion has also significantly improved the GVC position of firms located in China's eastern and central regions.The findings of this study indicate that it helps upgrading the GVC position of Chinese firms.