Analysis of Hot Topics and Trends in International Economic and Trade Research Based on CiteSpace——Taking WOS Data as an Example (2015-2025)

Currently, the international landscape is complex and volatile, with forces of globalization and counter-globalization growing and declining. The international economic and trade environment faces a reshuffle. This study aims to analyze research trends in international trade, explore current hot issues, identify trends, and better serve global economic and trade cooperation and development. International trade is a key driving force for global economic growth, optimizing global resource allocation, and promoting technological exchange and dissemination. It also has a significant impact on industrial upgrading, employment growth, and sustainable development across countries. Therefore, a quantitative analysis method was chosen, using CiteSpace literature visualization analysis software to conduct a visualization analysis of Web of Science (WOS) literature data from 2015 to 2025. The conclusion is as follows: Keyword cluster analysis reveals significant differentiation in international trade research. High-frequency clusters, such as FDI inflows, trade facilitation, and economic theory, reflect the continued focus of research on core issues of globalization. Low-frequency clusters, such as trade barriers, blockchain, and intellectual property rights, indicate a lack of attention to emerging areas. A temporal trend analysis reveals that international trade research underwent three transformations between 2015 and 2025: from efficiency to security (2015-2017), from deductive reasoning to empirical testing (2017-2019), and from single-dimensional expansion to systemic integration (2019-2021). Based on the analysis, the future development of international trade and economics requires interdepartmental collaboration and a multi-pronged approach to forge a new path for more inclusive and resilient trade and economics.