Relationship between Urban Economic Connections and Geoeconomic Relations in Northeast China

Using Northeast China as the research area and three time nodes (2007, 2012, and 2017), the gravitational model and Euclidean distance method were used to measure the spatial economic connections and geoeconomic relations between four regional central cities and other small- and medium-sized cities. The complexity of urban economic relations was systematically analyzed based on matching urban economic connections and geoeconomic relations. This paper provides suggestions on how to strengthen and build a benign and sustainable urban economic relations system in Northeast China. The results of the study show that, from 2007 to 2017, the economic links between the four central cities and other cities continued to strengthen. Shenyang had the highest total of economic links, and Changchun, the fastest growth rate. From 2007 to 2017, the geoeconomic relations between the four central and other cities generally improved, shifting from competitiveness to complementarity. Competition intensified for Shenyang and Dalian with cities in Liaoning province, and their complementarity strengthened with cities outside the province. The relationship between the four central cities with other cities is to strengthen cooperation and complementarity. Therefore, the cities in Northeast China need to strengthen economic ties and the complementarity of geoeconomic relations and optimize the matching relationship. They should focus on the role of regional central cities in promoting the economic integration of the entire Northeast China and jointly promote the orderly urban niche system and full coordination. The formation and stability of the developing regional cooperative community are discussed.