The evolution of global zinc trade network: Patterns and implications

Zinc plays a vital role in developing strategic emerging industries and the national economy. Given the global disparities in zinc resources and their production-consumption imbalance, an examination of the global zinc trade network is essential for understanding the global zinc resource supply and demand patterns and enhancing supply chain security. This study aims to characterize the patterns and evolution of the global zinc trade and reveal the topology of the global zinc trade network, to provide valuable insights for an in-depth comprehension of the global zinc trade dynamics and connectivities. The findings are as follows: (1) The global zinc trade has undergone three distinct stages of development since 2000. (2) The global zinc trade has exhibited growing interconnectivity, evolving from a sparse network reliant on a few nodes to a multi-core Pacific Rim-Western Europe trade network. The expansion of emerging economies has extended the global zinc trade network into the hinterland of the Asia-Europe continent and several African countries, establishing a network encompassing the Asia-Pacific region, Asia-Europe-Africa continent, and Western Europe. (3) At the macro level, network size, density and efficiency have shown an ascending-then-declining trajectory, while the transitivity demonstrated a persistent upward trend; at the meso level, backbone structures in global zinc trade have distinctly evolved into hub-and-spoke organizational patterns, transitioning from regional concentration to a more globalized distribution, highlighting the growing importance of emerging economies; at the micro level, China has assumed a central role, with the USA, Australia, South Korea, and Peru constituting the core countries in the Pacific Rim. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy serve as vital trade hubs in Western Europe, and India functions as the central hub within South Asia and even globally. Finally, this paper offers policy recommendations to ensure zinc supply chain security and develop zinc resource strategies.