Data file.

The development of top-tier agricultural product bases and demonstration zones aims to propel Chinese agriculture into the global market, form international competitiveness, and advance to the high end of the global industrial and value chain. This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating the performance and factors influencing the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural product exports at the provincial level, using a complex network perspective, and offers recommendations for improvement. In this regard, the article uses agricultural product export data from 2015 to 2022 to create export competitiveness networks of Chinese provincial agricultural products. Our analysis revealed four primary observations. Firstly, significant opportunities exist to improve the competitive edge of agricultural product exports across various Chinese provinces. Secondly, with the exception of Guangdong Province, the types of competitively robust agricultural products exported by each province are inconsistent. Thirdly, international sister-city relationships can foster the development of an export competitiveness network of Chinese provincial agricultural products, while geographic distance may hinder this network. These findings are consistent. Lastly, the development of this competition-focused export network is also influenced by province-level and national characteristics, and these influences have unique differences. All provinces should strive to produce distinctive and globally competitive agricultural goods to build their competitive advantage in international trade. They should also implement strategic regional planning to support the global expansion of their agricultural products.