This Working Paper series provides a vehicle for preliminary circulation of research results in the fields of economic development and international trade. The series is intended to stimulate discussion and critical comment. Staff and visitors in any part of the Australian National University are encouraged to contribute. To facilitate prompt distribution, papers are screened, but not formally refereed.

This Working Paper series provides a vehicle for preliminary circulation of research results in the fields of economic development and international trade. The series is intended to stimulate discussion and critical comment. Staff and visitors in any part of the Australian National University are encouraged to contribute. To facilitate prompt distribution, papers are screened, but not formally refereed.

By constructing a geographical distance matrix and a technological distance matrix, a double-fixed spatial Durbin model empirical test was conducted using panel data of 30 provinces during 2002-2020 to explore the factors influencing the convergence of inter-provincial economic growth in China. The outcomes reveal that the economic discrepancy of neighboring provinces has a pragmatic effect on the economic discrepancy of a single province. Also, the construction level of infrastructure, technology absorption capacity, and the level of marketisation have adverse spillover effects in space while the proportion of tertiary industry and R&D expenditure in the previous period in neighbouring provinces have positive spillover effects. Characteristic to that, the government should enhance the interaction mechanism of "industry-university-research", further cross-sectional industrial division and cooperation, and boost marketisation reforms to aggrandize the realization of "common prosperity" and high-quality economic development in China.