Research On The Impact Of Digital Infrastructure Construction On China’s Import And Export Trade

Since the the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward nine years ago,it has improved the people’s livelihood of countries along the Belt and Road,strengthened communication among countries,and provided a practical platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind.With the deepening of the construction of the "the Belt and Road",China’s trade dependence on European and American countries has decreased.The diversified cooperation of the "the Belt and Road" has attracted many trade partners,enriched the international trade market,shortened the time of entry and exit customs clearance,simplified documents and certificates to promote trade facilitation,and increased the economic benefits of countries along the "the Belt and Road".Therefore,countries along the "Belt and Road" have become important trade partners of China.The development of information and communication technology in the new era has significantly improved the level of digital infrastructure of countries along the the Belt and Road.Countries have closely cooperated in production activities,transportation,trade exchanges,financing and other aspects,driven the upgrading of the global value chain industry chain with scientific and technological innovation,and provided high-quality,low-cost,differentiated products and services to the people of countries along the Belt and Road.The increasing improvement of digital technologies such as 5G,AI and cloud computing in countries along the line supports the demand for intelligent operation of digital platforms.New business models such as overseas warehouses and e-commerce drive growth,enabling digital trade and making it a strong driving force for the development of service trade.In the context of digital transformation,does the digital infrastructure construction of countries along the "the Belt and Road" have an impact on China’s import and export trade? How does the digital infrastructure construction of countries along the "the Belt and Road" affect China’s import and export trade?This paper first collates the relevant literature on digital infrastructure construction and import and export trade,and analyzes the impact mechanism of countries along the "the Belt and Road"(except China)on China’s import and export trade.Secondly,construct and measure the digital infrastructure construction level indicators of countries along the "the Belt and Road",and analyze the current situation of China’s import and export trade with countries along the "Belt and Road".Then,it proposes a trade gravity model that takes the digital infrastructure construction level of countries along the line as the core explanatory variable,analyzes whether the digital infrastructure of countries along the line has a differentiated impact on China’s import and export trade through the heterogeneity test,and explores the intermediary effect of urbanization level,conducts a robustness test on the empirical results,and handles the endogenous problem of the model through the tool variable method.Finally,through specific country case studies,we will explore the impact of digital infrastructure in countries along the Belt and Road on China’s import and export trade,so as to have a richer understanding of the research content.The research results of this paper show that:(1)the digital infrastructure construction level of countries along the "the Belt and Road" is significantly different,and the digital infrastructure level of European countries is generally high;(2)The digital infrastructure construction of countries along the "the Belt and Road" can promote the development of China’s import and export trade,and the effect is different.The digital infrastructure in Europe has a greater impact on China’s import and export trade;(3)Countries along the "the Belt and Road" promote the development of China’s import and export trade by improving their urbanization level.Finally,this paper puts forward policy suggestions on China’s import and export trade from three aspects: promoting the joint construction of countries along the line,implementing the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education,and improving trade agreements.