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The role of trade and foreign investment in China's blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint
Abstract
China's rise in the maritime sector is notable on a global scale. China, which attaches great importance to developments in the blue economy as a national goal, is a world leader in aquaculture production. Developments in the blue economy are crucial for economic growth and the sustainability of international trade. Determining China's fishing grounds footprint, a subcomponent of its ecological footprint, is of critical importance for China, which has a significant trade volume in aquaculture production. In this context, the determinants of the fishing area footprint are being investigated in the Chinese economy. The relationship between the fishing grounds footprint and fishing production, trade globalization, foreign direct investment, and economic growth is investigated for the period 1980-2022. The A-ARDL method is chosen as the empirical method in the study, and cointegration estimators with various power characteristics are utilized. In this context, the FMOLS and CCr estimators are used. The DOLS estimator is used for robustness testing. According to the empirical results, the FMOLS, CCR, and DOLS (robustness) estimation results are consistent with each other. The results indicate that while increases in fishery production and trade globalization have contributed to a rise in the fishing footprint, economic growth appears to have had a mitigating effect, potentially due to increased efficiency, technological advancements, or sectoral shifts in the Chinese economy. These results offer important insights into development models that support sustainable development goals in China's marine sector.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
Ethical approval is not required for this study.
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Ecology (Other), Environmental Management (Other), Fisheries Management
Journal Section
Research Article
Early Pub Date
December 1, 2025
Publication Date
December 10, 2025
Submission Date
July 21, 2025
Acceptance Date
August 26, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 42 Number: 4
APA
Özbek, S., & Turgut, M. (2025). The role of trade and foreign investment in China’s blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 42(4), 287-297. https://doi.org/10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02
AMA
1.Özbek S, Turgut M. The role of trade and foreign investment in China’s blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint. EgeJFAS. 2025;42(4):287-297. doi:10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02
Chicago
Özbek, Sefa, and Muhammed Turgut. 2025. “The Role of Trade and Foreign Investment in China’s Blue Economy: An Ecological Perspective on the Fishing Grounds Footprint”. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 42 (4): 287-97. https://doi.org/10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02.
EndNote
Özbek S, Turgut M (December 1, 2025) The role of trade and foreign investment in China’s blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 42 4 287–297.
IEEE
[1]S. Özbek and M. Turgut, “The role of trade and foreign investment in China’s blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint”, EgeJFAS, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 287–297, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02.
ISNAD
Özbek, Sefa - Turgut, Muhammed. “The Role of Trade and Foreign Investment in China’s Blue Economy: An Ecological Perspective on the Fishing Grounds Footprint”. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 42/4 (December 1, 2025): 287-297. https://doi.org/10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02.
JAMA
1.Özbek S, Turgut M. The role of trade and foreign investment in China’s blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint. EgeJFAS. 2025;42:287–297.
MLA
Özbek, Sefa, and Muhammed Turgut. “The Role of Trade and Foreign Investment in China’s Blue Economy: An Ecological Perspective on the Fishing Grounds Footprint”. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, vol. 42, no. 4, Dec. 2025, pp. 287-9, doi:10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02.
Vancouver
1.Sefa Özbek, Muhammed Turgut. The role of trade and foreign investment in China’s blue economy: An ecological perspective on the fishing grounds footprint. EgeJFAS. 2025 Dec. 1;42(4):287-9. doi:10.12714/egejfas.42.4.02