No abstract

In recent years, manufacturing development has received renewed attention from developing and developed countries alike. As mega-city regions (MCRs) are where manufacturing industries converge, the research on urban networks of MCRs under the dominance of manufacturing transaction linkages is currently insufficient. Based on the buyer–supplier linkages of listed manufacturing firms, this paper investigated the characteristics of the urban network in the Yangtze River Delta region (YRDR) in China using the social network analysis method; explored the determinants of nodal centrality and city dyads of the urban network by the stepwise regression and quadratic assignment procedures, respectively; and proposes a “characteristics-determinants-strategies” technical framework for the analysis and optimization of interurban collaboration in manufacturing transactions within MCRs. The findings were as follows: (1) The characteristics of the urban manufacturing transaction networks differed from those of transaction linkages of advanced producer services (APS) firms, intra-firm organization hierarchies, and innovation cooperation networks; (2) the network and geographical “core-periphery” structure of urban power and the circulation corridor of the urban manufacturing transaction network was formed within the YRDR; (3) cooperation parks, innovation collaboration, high-speed rail (HSR) linkage, and geographical proximity between cities were found to facilitate the formation of urban manufacturing transaction networks, and the similarity of industry structures and driving distance between cities inhibits the network; (4) the number of urban industrial firms, GDP per capita, and city government spending on science and technology contributed to the centrality of a city in urban manufacturing transaction networks, while the urban population in a city had a negative impact. The research provides a complementary perspective to the urban network research of MCRs under the perspective of production factors and product circulation and provides policy and urban planning insights for the synergistic development of interurban manufacturing in MCRs.

Based on development data relating to China-Africa International Cooperation Parks (CAICPs) from 2003 to 2018, this study examined the transnational investment network of CAICPs using the social network analysis method. The number of CAICPs is increasing. Textiles and apparel, agricultural and food processing, trade logistics and management, building materials and construction, and electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing are the leading industries chosen by most CAICPs. These parks have promoted the economic and social development of African countries, driving the urbanization of the regions in which the parks are located, and they have also benefited China. The network of CAICPs involves China, African countries, and third-party investors. The network is becoming increasingly complex and has an increasingly high density. However, the key node countries and provincial units remain relatively stable despite changes in the network structure. The center of gravity of the network has shown noticeable deviations and regression, and inter-provincial investment cooperation has also been increasing. China-Africa cooperation drives the evolution of the network. In China, the investment of enterprises in Africa is affected by domestic policy, economic pursuit, and investment security. In Africa, the development of CAICPs is driven by development policies and achievements, and it is influenced by African countries' business environments.