Spatiotemporal Evolution and Market Resilience of China’s Bamboo Product Trade under the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” Initiative

Spatiotemporal Evolution and Market Resilience of China’s Bamboo Product Trade under the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” Initiative | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Spatiotemporal Evolution and Market Resilience of China’s Bamboo Product Trade under the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” Initiative Qin Wang, Pingxian Li, Weiming Yang, Xue Ren, Enlong Xia, Lin Zhu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6699234/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Driven by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the global “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative, China has become a key bamboo industry player by leveraging abundant resources and an integrated supply chain. To enhance international competitiveness, optimizing product structure and market resilience is essential. Using descriptive statistics, visualization, trade concentration index, and K-means clustering, this study analyzed China’s bamboo trade spatiotemporal patterns and market resilience based on 2015–2024 China customs data. Results revealed major revisions in the Harmonized System (HS) codes for bamboo products in 2017, yet existing classifications remain insufficiently detailed. Imports declined overall, characterized by fragmented primary products mainly sourced from the Taiwan region of China and Vietnam. In contrast, exports grew steadily, led by Bamboo Tableware, with the United States, Japan, and Europe as key markets, and notable expansion into Southeast Asia. In 2024, bamboo products accounted for over 99 % of China’s total bamboo trade value, and the export–import gap kept widening. Compared with 2015, export concentration declined: low‑ and medium‑concentration markets increased, highly concentrated ones decreased, and overall resilience improved. Cluster analysis split core destinations into seven groups in 2015 but only five in 2024, signalling broader demand diversity and fewer single‑category‑dominated markets. The study recommends refining HS codes to reflect new bamboo innovations; consolidating markets in Europe and America while expanding differentiated demand in Southeast Asia; upgrading Bamboo Tableware through technology; and boosting core product competitiveness to support global bamboo trade and the “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Environmental economics Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Socioeconomic scenarios Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability Biological sciences/Ecology/Forestry Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic Bamboo Products International Trade K-means Clustering Trade Concentration Index Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6699234","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":486880068,"identity":"8175fd88-310f-44b0-aa56-43bbab0e5c86","order_by":0,"name":"Qin Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Mathematics and Statistics, Chongqing Technology and Business University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qin","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":486880069,"identity":"11ffdd6a-d4bf-418c-8988-da1a69c48ef0","order_by":1,"name":"Pingxian Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"International Centre for 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