This study investigates how regional integration (RI) influences the high-quality development of the ice–snow economy (ISE) in China. It addresses a critical gap in the literature by examining spatial spillover effects and nonlinear relationships across urban clusters during the post–Winter Olympics era.
The study constructs a multidimensional ISE index covering 207 Chinese cities from 2013 to 2024, incorporating five dimensions: industrial support, market dynamism, infrastructure, government support and environmental sustainability. It employs fixed-effects panel models and spatial Durbin models (SDMs), complemented by two-regime SDMs, to investigate the direct and indirect effects of RI, while controlling for spatial heterogeneity.
Results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between RI and ISE, suggesting that moderate integration enhances ISE growth, while excessive integration may lead to resource crowding. Significant spatial spillover effects are identified, particularly in core–periphery structures. Dual-synergy patterns emerge in regions such as Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and Harbin–Changchun, whereas regions including Chengdu–Chongqing exhibit growth-suppressing patterns. Service-oriented sectors demonstrate stronger spatial diffusion than manufacturing-oriented sectors.
This study enriches the spatial economics literature by integrating nonlinear spatial spillovers and core–periphery asymmetries into the analysis of a rapidly expanding policy-driven economy. The findings offer empirical support for differentiated regional strategies and cross-regional coordination mechanisms in fostering sustainable ISE development.
