The Cross-Sectoral Technological Interdependencies of Central and Eastern Europe in the Era of Industry 4.0 and Chinese Digital Silk Road

Abstract

The concepts of servicification of manufacturing and industry 4.0 gave an opportunity to CEE, which has lost its global value chains position, to intensify the value-added flows of high-tech industries into manufacturing. In turn, Digital Silk Road introduced by China, has a huge impact on diffusion of Chinese advanced services into European manufacturing. Thus, the study aims to understand the flows in the servicification of manufacturing within two most important value-added providers for CEE: Germany and China in the era of industry 4.0 and Chinese Digital Silk Road. The article tried to answer the question: in recent years, there has been a significant change in the advanced servicification of manufacturing in this triangle.