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Integrating Geoeconomics into the GPN Framework : The Internationalization of Chinese EV Battery Firms amid China–EU Strategic Interaction

Gong, Huiwen LU ; Guo, Yue ; Chen, Yijia and Asheim, Bjørn LU (2026) In Economic Geography
Abstract

Over the last two decades, strategic emerging global production networks (GPNs) have reshaped advanced manufacturing, challenging the dominance of developed economies. Yet existing GPN theories pay limited attention to the geoeconomic logics driving these transformations. This article develops a conceptual–analytical framework that integrates geoeconomics into GPN analysis, viewing states as geoeconomically competing and strategically selective actors and firms as active agents navigating these dynamics. Focusing on the electric vehicle battery industry, it examines how leading Chinese firms expand into Europe amid the strategic interaction between Chinese and EU agendas, each deploying distinct geoeconomic instruments. The analysis... (More)

Over the last two decades, strategic emerging global production networks (GPNs) have reshaped advanced manufacturing, challenging the dominance of developed economies. Yet existing GPN theories pay limited attention to the geoeconomic logics driving these transformations. This article develops a conceptual–analytical framework that integrates geoeconomics into GPN analysis, viewing states as geoeconomically competing and strategically selective actors and firms as active agents navigating these dynamics. Focusing on the electric vehicle battery industry, it examines how leading Chinese firms expand into Europe amid the strategic interaction between Chinese and EU agendas, each deploying distinct geoeconomic instruments. The analysis shows how corporate competitive imperatives (cost-capability optimization, market access, and financial discipline) are mediated by geopolitical and regulatory pressures, prompting varied firm coping strategies. The study advances understanding of globalization under hybrid state–firm logics and highlights the rise of emerging GPNs led by non-Western firms in an era of intensified geoeconomic competition.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
in
Economic Geography
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:105032569272
ISSN
0013-0095
DOI
10.1080/00130095.2026.2630648
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, on behalf of Clark University.
id
1095b9db-5568-44bc-9898-5513c3a07cf5
date added to LUP
2026-04-22 15:49:31
date last changed
2026-04-22 15:50:39
@article{1095b9db-5568-44bc-9898-5513c3a07cf5,
  abstract     = {{<p>Over the last two decades, strategic emerging global production networks (GPNs) have reshaped advanced manufacturing, challenging the dominance of developed economies. Yet existing GPN theories pay limited attention to the geoeconomic logics driving these transformations. This article develops a conceptual–analytical framework that integrates geoeconomics into GPN analysis, viewing states as geoeconomically competing and strategically selective actors and firms as active agents navigating these dynamics. Focusing on the electric vehicle battery industry, it examines how leading Chinese firms expand into Europe amid the strategic interaction between Chinese and EU agendas, each deploying distinct geoeconomic instruments. The analysis shows how corporate competitive imperatives (cost-capability optimization, market access, and financial discipline) are mediated by geopolitical and regulatory pressures, prompting varied firm coping strategies. The study advances understanding of globalization under hybrid state–firm logics and highlights the rise of emerging GPNs led by non-Western firms in an era of intensified geoeconomic competition.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gong, Huiwen and Guo, Yue and Chen, Yijia and Asheim, Bjørn}},
  issn         = {{0013-0095}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Economic Geography}},
  title        = {{Integrating Geoeconomics into the GPN Framework : The Internationalization of Chinese EV Battery Firms amid China–EU Strategic Interaction}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00130095.2026.2630648}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/00130095.2026.2630648}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}