Enhancing shipping network efficiency: The geopolitical effects of the maritime silk road from the port investment perspective

In the context of economic globalisation, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as an important global economic co-operation initiative, aims to promote economic and cultural exchanges between countries along the route. As a key node of the Maritime Silk Road, ports play a crucial role in logistics, trade and cultural exchanges, and their level of investment and development directly affects the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the Maritime Silk Road. This study proposes a port investment optimisation model based on vulnerability and resilience perspectives, aiming to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st century. By constructing a network topology model, this study quantifies key topological indicators of the port network, including degree centrality, meso-centrality and network efficiency, in order to assess the network characteristics and the strategic importance of individual ports. It was found that simplifying the complex relationships in port network data through principal component regression (PCR) was effective in capturing the main sources of variation and identifying the key factors affecting port network efficiency. In addition, the application of Pearson's correlation coefficient reveals the correlation between port investment and performance indicators, providing a scientific basis for quantifying the impact of investment on port network connectivity and centrality. The contribution of this study lies in the in-depth revelation of the structural characteristics of the port network through empirical analyses of 15 major Maritime Silk Road port cities and the provision of a scientific basis for port investment decisions. The findings are not only important for promoting regional economic integration, global competitiveness and economic growth, but also highlight the need to bring sustainable development opportunities to countries and regions along the Belt and Road through scientific investment strategies and network optimisation.