Marine economic network in China’s coastal regions: static characteristics and resilience under attacks

China’s marine economy exhibits clear complex network characteristics. Given the pressure from internal and external uncertainties, understanding the characteristics of a marine economic complex network and enhancing its resilience are crucial for promoting high-quality development. After marine economic networks are constructed for three coastal regions (the Bohai Rim, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta), four key dimensions are analysed to delineate the static features. Subsequently, two types of attacks are simulated to assess connectivity and integrity. The results show a low degree of interdependence in the three major coastal economic circles, leading to slow network recovery. The Bohai Rim demonstrates the highest transmissibility, while the Yangtze River Delta shows a superior correlation feature. Both the Pearl and Yangtze River Deltas exhibit high levels of hierarchy, characterized by strong core groups. Compared with random attacks, targeted attacks are far more damaging to the resilience of China’s marine economic network. Fortunately, since 2012, the number of nodes that must be attacked to completely disrupt the network has increased, indicating a steady improvement in core network resilience. These conclusions offer valuable insights into ensuring the stable, efficient, and rapid development of China’s marine economy.