With the advancement of the global economic structure and industrial transformation, the service industry has increasingly occupied a prominent position in economic development, becoming a key driver in promoting employment, consumption, and industria...
With the advancement of the global economic structure and industrial transformation, the service industry has increasingly occupied a prominent position in economic development, becoming a key driver in promoting employment, consumption, and industrial upgrading. The implementation of the Northeast Revitalization Policy has provided continuous support from both central and local governments for the development of the service industry in China’s three northeastern provinces. The establishment of Free Trade Zones (FTZs) has created an important policy environment to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and stimulate regional economic growth.
This study analyzes the impact of the service industry—specifically the logistics and tourism sectors—on regional economic growth and FDI in the three northeastern provinces of China. Panel data for major cities in the three provinces were constructed for the period 2000∼2023. FDI and regional GDP models were established, and causal mediation analysis (CMA) was employed to empirically examine the roles of the two industries in the process of economic growth.
The results indicate that the logistics industry has a negative effect on economic growth and FDI. In contrast, the tourism industry exerts a significant indirect positive effect on regional economic growth through its mediation via foreign direct investment. Based on these findings, this study suggests that the northeastern region should further optimize its industrial structure, promote coordinated development between the logistics and tourism sectors, improve the investment environment, and fully leverage policy support to enhance the contribution of the service industry to economic growth.