European Scientific Journal, ESJ

ESJ May Full Edition

Dr. Jovan Shopovski — 2025-05-31

Dynamic Evolution of Electric Vehicle Trade Network between China and Europe

Shigang Yan — 2025-05-31

China and Europe have promoted the development of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions and cope with climate change. In recent years, the sales share of Chinese electric vehicle brands in the European market has increased rapidly. Europe has become the largest export market for Chinese electric vehicles. However, the European Union implemented various temporary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle brands in 2024, which posed a major challenge to the development of electric vehicle trade between China and Europe. The paper conducts a systematic examination of overall structural characteristics, node centrality metrics, core-periphery architecture and community detection of electric vehicle trade network between China and Europe from 2018 to 2022 by using social network analysis. The results indicate a general upward trend in tighter trade groups and increased connectivity efficiency within the network, while the network density and reciprocity display some fluctuations during this period. From a structural perspective, countries holding central positions in both centrality measures and core-periphery indicators show statistically significant convergence patterns in electric vehicle trade network between China and Europe. Moreover, there has formed different communities and undergone significant composition changes in electric vehicle trade network after 2020, highlighting the strengthening of connectivity within the trade network. This study has both theoretical and practical implications. It highlights the dynamic changes in electric vehicle trade network between China and Europe, and providing practical implications for Chinese policymakers and Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers through strategic frameworks to enhance bilateral cooperation, market adaptability, and sustainable trade reciprocity with European countries.

Sectoral Interconnectedness: insights from five sectors in ‘smart’ urban planning (Energy, Transport, Waste Management, Buildings, and Cities)

Vincent Onyango — 2025-05-31

‘Smart’ urban planning has become essential for addressing contemporary urban challenges, with sectoral interconnectedness at its core for achieving sustainable, efficient, and resilient cities. Yet it remains unknown to what extent the elements of smart are interlinked across the sectors. Therefore, this paper examines the degree of interconnectedness across five smart sectors: Energy, Transport, Waste management, Buildings, and Smart cities, covering site to city-wide scale. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining qualitative thematic coding and quantitative correlation analysis using NVivo's suite of cluster analysis tools. Strong interconnectedness was identified between the Energy and Transport sectors, driven by digital transformation and data-driven decision-making. In contrast, weak interconnectedness was observed between transformative cross-sectoral (CS) goals such as climate adaptation and sustainability. Smart Cities was the most interconnected sector, acting as a central platform where CS goals like sustainability, digital transformation, and real-time data utilization converge. Nevertheless, sectoral silos and inconsistent interoperability threaten the realization of holistic smart urban outcomes. This highlights the urgent need for cohesive frameworks that systematically align CS goals across sectors, ensuring that technological innovations contribute meaningfully to long-term environmental and social objectives. The paper’s insights can help policymakers and practitioners strengthen cross-sector collaboration, optimize urban systems, and promote integrated, adaptive, and sustainable smart urban planning.