Regional Poverty Alleviation Partnership and E-Commerce Trade.

This article investigates the impact of the East-West Poverty Alleviation Partnership—a Chinese government policy pairing economically advanced cities in East China with disadvantaged cities in West China—on e-commerce trade. Using detailed Alibaba transaction data from 2017 to 2021 and employing spatial regression discontinuity methods, the study finds that the partnership significantly increases e-commerce exports from West to East China by about 10%, while having negligible effects in the opposite direction. The effects are particularly strong in product categories where West China holds comparative advantages (e.g., food, clothing, household goods) and in western cities with larger economic disparities, higher ethnic minority populations, more geographical indication (GI) products, and better e-commerce infrastructure. Mechanism analysis suggests that partnership-driven migration and increased consumer awareness partially mediate these trade gains, whereas public-sector spending and transportation cost reductions do not. The findings highlight how inclusive regional policies combined with digital platforms can promote equitable economic growth and market integration in underdeveloped areas.