E-BRI: The role of fourth-party logistics for Sino-Russian e-commerce

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has garnered significant attention over the past decade. This expansive project promises lucrative opportunities and a potential boost to global trade. However, infrastructure, policy, and strategic challenges pose risks to its international success. This study examines the forces driving the growth of e-commerce supply chain companies participating in the BRI, focusing on China and Russia as research context. Using the Value Chain theory, we explain how combination of its primary and support activities influences the development of international supply chains within the BRI. We employ a multilinear regression model to test the proposed framework, with an ANOVA model to verify the robustness of our findings. The results reveal that primary and support activities have different significance within BRI collaboration. Exogenous factors, particularly industrial and municipal policies, as well as infrastructural development, are the key drivers of e-commerce success in the BRI supply chains. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the BRI by providing empirical evidence of the factors influencing e-commerce growth in participating countries. Our findings offer insights for firms and policymakers seeking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the BRI and highlight the areas requiring attention to ensure its long-term viability and success.