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The Trade Network Structure of the “One Belt and One Road” and Its Environmental Effects

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  • Shaowei Chen

    (School of Economics, Xi’an University of Finance and Economics, Xi’an 710100, China)

  • Qiang (Patrick) Qiang

    (Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, Pennsylvania State University, Malvern, PA 19355, USA)

Abstract

Using bilateral trade data along the “One Belt and One Road” (OBOR) from 2005–2016, this paper analyzes the structure and characteristics of the OBOR trade network. We find that the centrality, clustering coefficient, eigenvector centrality and average node strength are generally increasing, and China holds the core position in the network. Furthermore, we use three-stage least squares (3SLS) for analysis of the relationship between CO2 emissions and trade network characteristics and find that the status of country nodes in the trade network has a significant impact on CO2 emissions, with differences between high- and low-income countries. Our results provide additional insights regarding the impacts of the characteristics of the OBOR trade network on CO2 emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Shaowei Chen & Qiang (Patrick) Qiang, 2020. "The Trade Network Structure of the “One Belt and One Road” and Its Environmental Effects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:9:p:3519-:d:350304
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    Cited by:

    1. Liusuo Hu & Jian Hu & Weilung Huang, 2023. "Evolutionary Analysis of the Solar Photovoltaic Products Trade Network in Belt and Road Initiative Countries from an Economic Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-30, September.
    2. Yue Pu & Yunting Li & Jinjin Zhang, 2023. "Features and evolution of the ‘Belt and Road’ regional value chain: Complex network analysis," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(7), pages 2134-2156, July.

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