AI-Driven Trade Transformation: China's Role in Reshaping Global Economic Dynamics

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Journal: Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies

Publisher: Emerald Publishing

Submission Opens: 1 March 2026

Submission Deadline: 1 May 2026

Introduction

This Special Issue aims to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming global trade — with a particular focus on China's central role in driving world economic growth through its export-led model. As digital technologies evolve, they are fundamentally reshaping trade practices, reducing transaction costs, and challenging traditional trade theories.

This Special Issue seeks to address these shifts by examining how AI technologies influence global value chains, enterprise adaptability, and the broader economic landscape. It curates high-quality research that utilizes new data to test or refine existing trade models — such as the gravity model and comparative advantage — and emphasizes moving beyond simple studies of automation and robotics to understand the broader implications of AI-driven digital transformation for enterprises.

By focusing on China's unique position as both a leader in AI development and a global trade powerhouse, this Special Issue provides actionable insights for policymakers, businesses, and researchers navigating the complex AI-trade nexus.

Scope & Significance

This Special Issue makes a novel contribution by deepening understanding of the intersection between AI and international trade. While existing literature has begun to explore robotics in export sectors, this issue goes further by investigating the structural impacts of AI on trade costs and theoretical frameworks. It welcomes theoretical contributions exploring how AI is reshaping trade paradigms and offers fresh empirical evidence on the changing nature of comparative advantage in the digital age.

The Special Issue also addresses key societal challenges — exploring how AI-driven trade transformation impacts employment, economic growth, and global inequality. It aligns with:

🏭 SDG 8 — Decent Work & Economic Growth — examining how AI creates new high-value job opportunities while necessitating workforce transitions

⚙️ SDG 9 — Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure — highlighting the role of AI in fostering innovation and optimizing trade infrastructure

The issue emphasizes the need for inclusive policies to ensure that the benefits of AI-driven trade are equitably distributed — particularly in developing economies.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

AI and trade cost reduction — how AI technologies lower transaction and logistics costs in global trade
Digital transformation of enterprises — structural impacts of AI on firm-level trade performance and adaptability
Revisiting trade theories — how AI reshapes the gravity model, comparative advantage, and other foundational trade frameworks
China's export-led growth — AI's role in sustaining and transforming China's position in global trade
AI and global value chains — how AI reconfigures production networks, supply chains, and cross-border economic linkages
AI, employment, and workforce transitions in trade-dependent economies
AI-driven trade and global inequality — distributional effects across developed and developing economies
Inclusive policy frameworks for AI-enabled trade transformation
AI and trade infrastructure optimization
Empirical evidence on AI and the changing nature of comparative advantage in the digital age

Guest Editors

Dr. Xuan Nguyen Deakin University, Australia 📧 xuan.nguyen@deakin.edu.au

Dr. Cong Pham Deakin University, Australia 📧 cong.pham@deakin.edu.au

Dr. Xing Xu Shanghai Institute of Technology, China 📧 xing.xu@sit.edu.cn

Key Deadlines

📅 Manuscript Submission Opens: 1 March 2026

⏰ Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 May 2026

Submission Guidelines

Submissions are made through ScholarOne Manuscripts, the official submission platform of Emerald Publishing. Authors must strictly follow the journal's author guidelines.

When submitting, select "AI-Driven Trade Transformation: China's Role in Reshaping Global Economic Dynamics" from the special issue drop-down menu at the appropriate step in the submission process.

⚠️ Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

For author guidelines and to submit your manuscript, visit the official Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies page on the Emerald Publishing website and access via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

About the Journal

The Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies (JCEFTS), published by Emerald Publishing, is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research on China's economic development, trade policies, and its role in the global economy. It provides an international platform for scholars and practitioners exploring the dynamics of Chinese trade, investment, economic policy, and China's integration into global value chains and international economic systems.

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