The Influence of Industrial Pulling Effect on the Coordinated Development of China’s Water Resources and Economic System

Global water resources are constantly flowing in the process of industrial trade, and changes in water resource production and consumption demand not only affect the total consumption and flow pattern of water resources but also the stable development of the economic system. How to achieve the goals of water conservation and the spatial balance of water resources while promoting social and economic stability and sustainable development has become an important prerequisite for the coordination and sustainable development of water resources and economic systems. Therefore, this paper starts with the industrial correlation effect of the downstream consumption side of the industrial linkage path, and uses the multi-regional input–output model, power-of-pull approach and industrial correlation effect model to deeply analyze the important path of the coordinated and sustainable development of China's water resources and economic system. The results show that: The relevant sectors of industry and service always have a stable and low pull index on the water consumption end, which had a small pulling effect on the water production end. Moreover, the flow of the industrial virtual water trade linkage path did not increase when total economic output value increased, making it an important development industry for the coordinated development of water resources and economic systems. Additionally, comparing the virtual water flow and flow direction of the industrial linkage path with the industry’s total economic and trade output value, it is found that the unreasonable industrial pulling effect and pushing effect have become one of the important obstacles affecting the spatial balance of water resources and coordinated economic development of China. Therefore, the regulation of virtual water trade pattern can not only be judged from the flow of the link path, but also need to combine the different correlation effects in the industrial link path to promote the coordinated and sustainable development of water resources and economic system more reasonably.