Beyond Geopolitics: Immigrant Entrepreneurs’ Digital Bridges Facilitate Trade Breakthrough

This commentary investigates how Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs (xinyimin) in the Netherlands leverage specific digital practices to navigate geopolitical challenges and manage trade. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic engagement, we propose the concept of “digital bridges,” a form of digital guanxi resilience rooted in complex co-ethnic social relational networks.<br/>Our findings reveal that entrepreneurial strategies are dynamically balanced across three symbiotic relationship types: Jiaoyi (transactional/familial), Jiaowang (communal/reputation-based), and Jiaoqing (emotionally-grounded partnerships). This framework highlights how entrepreneurs make selective digital choices, particularly in their cautious adoption of communication technologies, to protect their cultural identity and build social capital. Ultimately, these digital bridges ensure continuous social adaptation and empower entrepreneurs to build economic resilience. We argue for a governance system that supports this selective digital engagement, balancing technological adoption with cultural preservation for sustained transnational entrepreneurship.