Using bilateral trade data involving 223 economies and 5,077 product categories provided by the CEPII-BACI, we construct a trade network at the national product dimension and conduct corresponding analyses of complex networks.

The figure below illustrates the trade network and community structure of countries worldwide in 2018. It reveals that certain countries within the trade network exhibit closer intra-regional trade interactions, leading to the formation of "trade communities." Within these communities, trade exchanges among members are more frequent, while connections to countries outside the community are relatively sparse. As depicted in the figure, on one hand, the composition of the communities overall reflects a "tripartite balance" centered around China, Germany, and the United States. On the other hand, the connections within the China-U.S. community are notably closer than those in the Germany-centered community.

The lab has applied the Global Trade Network and published 4 papers in some authoritative journals, such as The Journal of World Economy, Journal of Renmin University of China, Forum of World Economics & Politics and Journal of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law:

Lyu Yue, Wei Yaning. Firm's Trade Network and Domestic Value Added of Exports in Global Value Chains. The Journal of World Economy. 2020, 12, pp. 50-75.

Lyu Yue, Wei Yaning, Wang Qiang. The Belt and Road Initiative and the Extending of Global Trade Network. Journal of Renmin University of China. 2023, 1.

Lyu Yue, Mao Shisi, Wei Yaning. The Depth of FTA and the Development of Global Value Chain Network—The Measurement and Analysis from the Perspective of Value-added Trade. Forum of World Economics & Politics. 2022, 1.

Lyu Yue, Wei Yaning. Trade Network and OFDl: An Empirical Evidence Based on Multinational Panel Data from 1970 to 2018. Journal of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. 2020, 5.