Background: Transportation has become the second-largest source of global carbon emissions. Promoting low-carbon development by means of public transport and green travel and analyzing the mechanism and path of the carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport have become key to reducing carbon emissions in the transportation field and achieving “carbon peak and carbon neutrality”. Methods: The data from 30 provinces (2010–2019) were extracted from China Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs), China Energy Statistical Yearbook, China Statistical Yearbook, and China Automobile Statistical Yearbook. The two-way fixed-effect model was used to explore the carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport development level. The mediating-effect model was used to verify the transmission role of energy consumption in the carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport development level. Results: The study suggests that the public transport development level and CO₂ emissions are negatively correlated, showing an “Inverted U-shaped” curve relationship. Energy consumption is the transmission path of the carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport development level. The public transport development level adjusts the energy consumption structure through the traffic substitution effect, energy input optimization effect, and industrial structure optimization effect and then acts on carbon emissions. Moreover, the contribution rate of energy consumption is about 4.22%. In addition, regional heterogeneity is present in the transmission path of the carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport development level based on energy consumption. The carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport development level is more significant in the central and western regions than the eastern and northeast regions of China. Conclusion: The transmission mechanism of energy consumption in the carbon emissions reduction effect of public transport is worthy of attention. To promote low-carbon and circular development in the transportation sector, it is urgent to accelerate the green upgrading of transportation infrastructure, promote the low-carbon transformation of energy production and consumption, promote carbon emissions reduction in public transport, and strengthen the linkage regulation between effective government and an effective market.

Based on the essential characteristics of two-sided markets, this paper analyzes the role of competition between users within platforms in the competition between platforms from three aspects: user scale effect, platform stickiness effect and platform competition effect. We found that in the most realistic oligopoly market structure, the effect of platform competition plays a leading role, and competition between users within platforms intensifies competition between platforms. Because ranking competition is a unique competition mode in internet platforms, this paper further investigates the role of ranking positions on platforms’ multiple types of competition. Top-ranked merchants have a strong platform competition effect due to flows and sales volume, which has a positive effect on competition between platforms. However, this effect weakens with the backward-ranking of positions and leads to an overall negative effect. Finally, this study conducts a heterogeneity analysis of different platform modes and shows that the internal market concentration of self-operating e-commerce is significantly more concentrated and that the effect of merchant competition on platform competition is weaker than that of platform e-commerce.

Given that consumers’ ordered search and sales are concentrated on leading merchants on Internet platforms, this paper theoretically discusses and empirically tests the relationship between ranking position and merchants’ market power on Internet platforms. Top-ranked merchants do indeed have stronger pricing power, which reflects the importance of location competition in the online market. The market power of mid-ranked merchants may be weaker than that of bottom-ranked merchants because ranking position has the function of screening consumer preferences. Under the ordered search, bottom-ranked merchants face fewer consumers, but their demand preferences are more concentrated.

East Asia has attracted great interest not only due to its economic, demographic and cultural potential, but also thanks to its rapidly rising international position. While in the past it was Japan that could be considered as a forerunner of economic and societal changes on the Asian continent, at present it is China that holds a dominant position in terms of economic, political and military power. China’s rapid rise has led both to increase in tensions in East Asia and to intensification of the efforts to institutionalize multi­lateral dialogue in the region. This edited volume aims to analyze the changes in distribution of power in East Asia at the beginning of the 21st century as well as their implications for the development of relations between Asian and European countries. The multi-dimensional analysis of political, economic, and societal shifts in East Asia will contribute to better understanding of the complex factors influencing Asia-Europe relations. Publication is a part of the project: Regional Center for International Debate in Lodz 2017–2018. Project co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.