Analysis of Trade Relations and Regional Cooperation Prospects among RCEP Member Countries-From the Perspective of Social Network Methods

Against the backdrop of the profound adjustment of the global economic pattern and regional governance, the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) marks the establishment of the world's largest and most complex free trade network in the Asia - Pacific region, the network effect of regional trade agreements has become an important topic in the research of international political economy. Existing literature mostly focuses on the assessment of the static economic effects of RCEP, lacking dynamic observations of the structural evolution of trade relations and overlooking the application potential of social network analysis in the research of ultra - large - scale free trade agreements. This paper innovatively constructs a weighted directed network model. By comparing the trade data of 2021 (before the formal entry into force of the RCEP agreement) and 2023 (after its entry into force), using social network analysis methods to analysis trade relations and regional cooperation prospects among RCEP member countries. This paper found that after the entry into force of RCEP, the density of the regional trade network has increased, and the trade status of some countries has changed. However, regional cooperation still faces challenges such as geopolitical risks and differences in trade rules. Based on this, RCEP countries need to further deepen policy coordination and strengthen trade facilitation cooperation to promote the continuous and stable development of regional trade cooperation.