Under the pressure exerted by COVID-19 and geopolitical conflicts, establishing how to enhance urban economic resilience and cope with external risks has become the focus of many studies. This study considers the “Broadband China” program as a quasi-natural experiment and uses panel data from 106 Chinese cities between 2011 and 2020 to explore the influence of digital infrastructure on urban economic resilience through a difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The results are as follows: (1) Digital infrastructure improves urban economic resilience, and the influence differs by time and region. (2) Economic vitality, industrial structure upgrading, and industrial structure rationalization either moderate or mediate the impact of the digital infrastructure on economic resilience. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how digital infrastructure and economic resilience are related.

Digital technology, acting as an engine for industrial development, propels the rapid integration of data elements and the swift iteration of digital logistics technology, significantly enhancing logistic resilience. Exploring the impact of digital technology on the resilience of logistics helps strengthen the latter’s ability to withstand external shocks. Based on the correlation between digital technology and the resilience of the logistics industry, this study measured their levels in 275 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2020, showing that the former significantly improved the latter, a conclusion which remained valid after robustness tests. The mechanism analysis results showed that promoting industrial collaborative agglomeration was an important part of this process, while the threshold model analysis found that the impact on resilience had nonlinear characteristics. The heterogeneity test results showed that digital technology had a significant resilience-promoting effect in the eastern and northern coastal regions, as well as in the middle reaches of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Accordingly, it is necessary to accelerate digital technology integration with the logistics industry and formulate differentiated development strategies. This study provides a theoretical foundation for exploring the relationship between digital technology and logistics resilience, as well as policy recommendations.

Emerging countries are the main source of new CO₂ emissions and the major net carbon importers, and they have also become an important part of the global trade pattern. In this study, the impact of trade openness on CO₂ emissions was investigated by approaches such as fully modified least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and pooled mean group-autoregressive distributive lag (PMG-ARDL) methods. Further estimations were conducted by employing methods such as DCCEMG (dynamic common-correlated effect mean group) and Driscoll–Kray to strengthen the robustness of the results. Moreover, the Granger causality between trade openness and CO₂ emissions was tested by using the Dumitrescu–Hurlin method. Conclusions can be drawn as follows: First, economic growth, energy consumption, trade openness, and CO₂ emissions are all interconnected in the long term. Specifically, higher levels of economic growth and trade openness are associated with lower CO₂ emissions, whereas energy consumption contributes to higher emissions. However, in the short term, economic growth and energy consumption lead to an increase in CO₂ emissions, while trade openness does not have a significant impact. Moreover, there is a two-way Granger causality between trade openness and CO₂ emissions. Additionally, economic growth and energy consumption have an indirect effect on CO₂ emissions by influencing trade openness. Given these findings, emerging market countries should focus on enhancing their service sectors, promoting technological advancements, and fostering international collaboration in green technologies. By actively engaging in efforts to combat climate change, these countries reach a point where trade expansion and carbon reduction are achieved.

With carbon emissions continuing to rise, global warming has become a popular research topic. To address climate change, China is taking proactive measures to reduce its carbon emissions. Covering the period between 2009 and 2021, this study utilizes data from 3668 publicly listed companies in China, along with data from their respective cities, to investigate the impact of the carbon emissions trading pilot policy on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. The conclusions show that the policy has greatly improved corporate ESG performance. However, its impact on the corporate ESG performance has varied over time, across different entities, and among different cities. Furthermore, the companies’ level of green innovation plays a crucial intermediary role. Additionally, a company’s risk-bearing capacity and level of urban green credit support positively moderate the effectiveness of the policy. These findings enrich our understanding of the relationship between the pilot policy and corporate ESG performance.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has become an important factor influencing corporate operational strategies, yet the impact of its inclusiveness on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance remains unclear. In this study, the correlation of city-level FDI inclusiveness with corporate-level ESG performance was investigated based on data from 1258 Chinese A-share listed companies between 2011 and 2021. The effects of FDI inclusiveness on corporate ESG performance and its underlying mechanisms were investigated. The findings indicate that an increase in FDI inclusiveness significantly improves corporate ESG performance. Additionally, the moderating role of corporate competitive advantage and urban entrepreneurial vitality was analyzed, and the findings indicate that an increase in urban FDI inclusiveness significantly improves corporate ESG performance. Managerial green attention and corporate innovation capability play intermediary roles in the overall impact, with the total impact being positively moderated by investor attention. Furthermore, the influence of FDI inclusiveness on corporate ESG performance exhibits significant heterogeneity resulting from variations in digital policies, environmental policies, and ownership structures.

As agriculture faces increasingly complex risk shocks, improving the resilience of the agricultural sector is imperative. Therefore, as a result of their geographical penetration, smart supply chains in agriculture have attracted attention. This study examines the relationship between agricultural economic resilience and smart supply chains using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2008 to 2021. Benchmark regression results indicate that smart supply chains promote agricultural economic resilience, depending on geographical location. The threshold model test results indicate that the integration level of rural industries and increases in farmers’ disposable income result in smart supply chains having nonlinear effects on agricultural economic resilience. Moreover, the spatial spillover effect test indicates that the development of regional smart supply chains will also promote resilience in surrounding areas. The findings provide helpful insights for sustainable agricultural development.