Analysis on the spatial distribution of logistics industry in the developed East Coast Area in China

Based on the theory of location quotient (LQ) and the characteristics of regional logistics, we apply methods of exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) to examine variation in logistics industry in the East Coast Area (ECA) in China. This paper investigates the regional disparities at city level in ECA by global and local spatial autocorrelation analysis, with the support of ArcMap and Geoda software. It visualizes the regional distribution of logistics industry by box map, and analyzes the statistical data of China logistic industry by Moran's I scatter plots and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) map. Then we briefly discuss regional economic development in relation to the spatial distribution of logistics industry. The results show that the Moran's I for per capita GDP is higher than that for logistics industry in ECA. Some logistics clusters have been formed in the developed strip-shaped region-confirming the existence of agglomeration economics. The paper has derived some implications for policy makers at the end.