VII. Can the Digital Economy Boost the Trade Position of Countries Along the Belt and Road?

Authors

Jiaxing Ma
Dalian Minzu University, Faculty of Economics and Business
Guopeng Li
University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business

Synopsis

With the rapid development of digital technology, the digital economy has become an essential component of the global economy, injecting new impetus into international trade. With the "Digital Silk Road" development, the digital economy is becoming a new engine for economic and trade cooperation between China and countries along the "Belt and Road". This paper analyses the development level of the digital economy of countries along the Belt and Road through the TIMG index. It concludes that the overall development level of the digital economy of countries along the Belt and Road is still low and unbalanced, and the underlying reasons are analysed. Secondly, the impact of the digital economy on the trade status of countries along the route was analysed from three paths: trade costs, trade prices, and trade diversity. Finally, four relevant policy recommendations are proposed: digital technology, digital infrastructure, digital market, and digital governance.

Author Biographies

Jiaxing Ma, Dalian Minzu University, Faculty of Economics and Business

Jiaxing Ma is a master's degree student majoring in International Business at the International Business School of Dalian Minzu University. Her research focuses on the Belt and Road Initiative and Free Trade Zones. Since she entered the university, her research has focused on the Belt and Road Initiative, especially on how the Belt and Road Initiative promotes trade exchanges between China and the countries along the route.

Dalian, China. E-mail: mjxx0325@163.com

Guopeng Li, University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business

Dr. Guopeng Li is a lecturer of International Economics and Trade at International Business College, Dalian Minzu University. His research focuses on regional economic cooperation, national economic development, and the development of the care industry for the elderly. In recent years, he has published more than 30 academic articles in several Chinese and English journals. With the fast development of IT and AI, his research has expanded to digital economics and digital trade. 

Dalian, China. E-mail: liguopeng@dlnu.edu.cn

Downloads

PDF

Volume

The Impact of Digital Economy on One Belt One Road Initiative

Pages

155-170

Published

July 1, 2025

Categories

Copyright (c) 2025 University of Maribor, University Press

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Ma, J., & Li, G. (2025). VII. Can the Digital Economy Boost the Trade Position of Countries Along the Belt and Road?. In J. Zhang, S. Bobek, X. Zhang, & S. Sternad Zabukovšek (Eds.), & D. Liu & W. Wang, The Impact of Digital Economy on One Belt One Road Initiative (pp. 155-170). University of Maribor Press. https://press.um.si/index.php/ump/catalog/book/987/chapter/709