Research on the Spatial Differences and Network Structure of Economic Development in the Yangtze River Belt, China

Abstract

The Yangtze River economic belt is the main force leading the high-quality development of China’s economy, but its current internal economic differentiation issues require further study. In this study, to understand the development laws, change characteristics, evolutionary pattern, and main influencing factors on economic differences and economic network structure in the Yangtze River economic belt, 20 years of data from 1999 to 2018 at the general scale, three major regions, province, and city scales were analyzed. The results indicated that from 1999 to 2018, the total GDP of the Yangtze River economic belt steadily increased year by year, and the absolute difference in regional economy showed an expanding trend, while the relative difference was relatively stable. The total economic output and proportion of the three major regions all showed a trend of eastern region > central region > western region, but the growth rate and proportion trends were exactly the opposite. The GDP of 11 provinces and 110 cities showed positive global autocorrelation and obvious local spatial autocorrelation, but their radiative driving effect on surrounding areas was not strong, and the spatial agglomeration effect at the provincial level was better than that at the prefecture level or city level. The economic network structure was characterized by a single center structure dominated by the Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, gradually strengthening from west to east, and the gravity value growth rate in the western region was significantly higher than in the central and eastern regions. The city cluster in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Chengdu–Chongqing served as the main bridges and links, playing a crucial role in the cascade radiation process of economic connections. The research results have strategic significance for coordinating the region development of the Yangtze River economic belt and promoting the rise of central China.