## 5 Analysis of Factors Influencing the Digital Service Trade Network of RCEP Member Countries
### Empirical Result Analysis
For the difference in digital infrastructure level, from the perspective of the overall trade network, the coefficient of this variable is negative in the regression results of the unweighted trade network and the weighted trade network in 2006 and 2021, respectively. It has passed the significance level tests of 10% and 5%, indicating that two countries with similar levels of digital infrastructure are more likely to establish digital service trade links and promote an increase in digital service trade value. When the absolute value of the coefficient of the difference in digital infrastructure level increases, the impact of this variable on the digital service trade value of both parties is more significant. For institutional distance, from the perspective of the overall trade network, the coefficient of institutional distance is negative in both the 2006 and 2021 regression results of the unweighted trade network and the weighted trade network, which is consistent with the expected assumption. This variable is negatively correlated with digital service trade and has passed the significance level tests of 5% or 10%, respectively. This indicates that the connection and scale of digital service trade between member countries are greatly influenced by the political environment between countries. The more obvious the difference in political environment, the more unfavorable it is for the development of digital service trade between both parties, leading to an increase in the instability of digital service trade. Regarding the common language, from the perspective of the overall trade network, in both the unauthorized trade network and the weighted trade network in 2006 and 2021, the common language showed a positive promoting effect, and this variable passed the 1% significance level test, indicating that using the same language between the two countries helps to improve communication efficiency, reduce trade costs, and establish trade links and promote increase in digital service trade value, thus promoting deep cooperation in digital service trade among member countries. For geographical distance, from the perspective of the overall trade network, the coefficient of geographical distance was negative in both the unauthorized trade network and the weighted trade network in 2006 and 2021 and passed the significance level test of 10%, indicating that the farther the geographical distance between two countries, the more unfavorable it is for establishing trade links and promoting an increase in digital service trade between the two sides. From 2006 to 2021, the absolute value of this variable coefficient also decreased, which may be due to factors such as the improvement in the level of digital infrastructure and the continuous improvement of relevant laws and regulations on digital service trade, which significantly reduced the impact of geographical distance on digital service trade. Perhaps, in the future, the development of digital service trade will no longer be constrained by geographical distance. From the perspective of segmented industries' trade networks, for differences in per capita GDP, it is easier to establish trade links and increase trade value in insurance and pension services, financial service, personal entertainment services, and other commercial services. It is also easier to establish trade links in communication, computer, and information technology (ICT) services and intellectual property services, but the impact on the trade value between the two parties is not significant. For differences in the level of digital infrastructure, it is easier to establish trade links and increase trade value in financial service trade and communication, computer, and information technology (ICT) services. It is also easier to establish trade links in insurance and pension services, personal entertainment services, intellectual property services, and other commercial services, but the impact on the trade value between the two parties is not significant.