Variable | Measurement index | Data sources | Expected benefits | |
Core explanatory variables | China’s scientific research strength | Number of patents in China from 2008 to 2017 | The USPTO Database | Positive Correlation |
Scientific research strength of countries along the “One Belt and One Road” route | Number of patents in countries along “One Belt and One Road” from 2008 to 2017 | The USPTO Database | Positive Correlation | |
Geographic distance | Bilateral distance multiplied by the weight of the international oil price | The CEPII Database EIA Database | Negative Correlation | |
Control variables | Innovative capability | The innovation capability index in the “Global Competitiveness Index Report” | “Global Competitiveness Index Report” | Positive Correlation |
Bilateral relationship | Valuation of bilateral relations between the two countries | Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Positive Correlation | |
Economic scale | Gross national product of countries along the “One Belt and One Road” route | The World Bank | Positive Correlation | |
Virtual variables | Neighboring countries | Whether have borders? | The CEPII Database | Positive Correlation |
Language | Whether the language the same? | The CEPII Database | Positive Correlation |