The Research on the Impact of Regional Trade Network Relationships on Value Chain Resilience in China’s Service Industry

Abstract

Regional trade network relationships are not only a medium for transmitting shocks to value chains, but also an important vehicle for reconfiguring value chains. This article applies social network analysis, combines regional trade agreements, and describes the current status of regional trade network development in North America, the European Union, and “the Belt and Road,” as well as the individual characteristics of China’s service industry in each regional trade network by using the indicators of trade relations to construct the network density, connectedness, and centrality through clustering analysis. The research found that the complexity of regional trade network relationships has increased over the years. Additionally, the developing trend of equalization is accelerating but still exhibits a “Core-Periphery” structure. Additionally, subregional groups within the regional trade network are increasingly obvious. Further study on the impact of industry regional centrality on value chain resilience revealed that the increase of degree centrality and the betweenness centrality of China’s service industry can conspicuously strengthen value chain resilience in regional trade network relationships. Moreover, balanced regional trade network relationships can reinforce this effect. In contrast, the degree of the polarity of regional trade network relationships exacerbates the weakening motivation of centrality for value chain resilience.