The Impact of Logistics Infrastructure Development in China on the Promotion of Sino-Korea Trade : The Case of Inland Port under the Belt and Road Initiative

Purpose – This study investigates the impact of inland port development in China on the promotion of bilateral trade flows between China and South Korea. Design/methodology – The probable association between the establishment of inland ports and SinoKorea trade was estimated using gravity models. In this regards, two sets of data were collected. The first dataset consists of the baseline variables of a gravity model, while the second one includes variables of logistics infrastructure development. The indicators of logistics infrastructure development include inland ports, the amount of government expenditure on transport infrastructure, the lengths of roads and railways, the number of trucks and the number of logistics industry workforce. Findings – The results show that inland port development has a positive impact on facilitating bilateral trade between China and South Korea. However, the positive association holds only for Chinese regions with a large trade volume and a proximity to seaports. In other regions, the impact of inland ports is not statistically significant. Originality/value – To the best knowledge of the authors, this study is the first attempt to explore the economic impact of inland ports in China. In addition, the findings in this paper provide both policy and managerial implications for the future development of inland ports, such as the strategic location of inland ports and integrated intermodal operations