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2328The high-quality development of the Belt and Road is an important goal of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the following time. It is also an important link in dual circulation. Deepening digital economy cooperation is an important part of the high-quality development of the Belt and Road.
Based on the theory and practice of the digital Belt and Road, this paper studies the theoretical mechanism of how the digital Belt and Road promotes the high-quality development of countries along the route. At the same time, combined with the connotation and characteristics of the digital economy, this paper constructs an evaluation system from the dimensions of digital infrastructure, digital policy environment, and digital business ecology, and measures the digital economy development using the principal component analysis. The research finds that: First, the global digital economy is developing rapidly, but unbalanced development still exists; the phenomenon of “the strong are always strong and the weak are always weak” is prominent; the development level of the digital economy in countries along the route is significantly lower than that in other countries; some countries have achieved breakthrough development in the digital economy. Second, the Belt and Road Initiative has significantly improved the high-quality development of countries along the route. Third, the Belt and Road Initiative has a positive effect on high-quality development by promoting the development of the digital economy. Fourth, the heterogeneous effect analysis suggests that the policy effect significantly exists in high-income group countries, but not in low-income group countries. The Belt and Road Initiative requires countries along the route to have a certain economic foundation in order to maximize the beneficial role. No matter for countries along the Overland Silk Road or Maritime Silk Road, and for countries adjacent to China or not, the policy effect is significant.
This paper proves that the digital Belt and Road has turned into a fruitful reality from a beautiful vision, and delivers important implications for high-quality development. Based on this, we should further promote the construction of the digital Belt and Road, smooth the new development pattern of dual circulation, form the synergy effect of digital economy development and high-quality development, and improve differentiated cooperation plans for the digital Belt and Road.
