Assessment of the spatiotemporal evolution of social–ecological–economic vulnerability in the China–Russia Northeast–Far East economic corridor

Under the vulnerability scoping diagram (VSD) vulnerability assessment framework, this study focuses on 33 cities in the China–Russia Northeast–Far East Economic Corridor (CREFEC), constructs a social, ecological, and economic vulnerability evaluation index system from three dimensions: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, and analyzes the spatiotemporal dynamics and spatial evolution differences of social–ecological–economic vulnerability from 2010 to 2020. Our findings indicate that the corridor's social–ecological–economic vulnerability exhibits a "high in the southwest, low in the northeast" spatial pattern. The exposure index slightly increases and then decreases, gradually rising from the central to the terminal regions. The sensitivity index shows a "U" shaped pattern, first slowly decreasing and then rapidly increasing, rising progressively from south to north and west to east. The adaptive capacity index first rapidly increases and then stabilizes, showing a differentiation pattern of high adaptation in the east, moderate adaptation in the west, and low adaptation in the central region. The study suggests it is necessary to continue improving the socioeconomic vulnerability in the southwest of the corridor while further promoting socio-economic development in the northeast. Emphasizing resource economy development alongside ecological environment protection is essential for achieving sustainable socio-economic development. Additionally, attention must be given to social and cultural differences and policy discrepancies between countries.