Book Review: Liu, C. Geography of Technology Transfer in China: A Glocal Network Approach; World Scientific: Singapore, 2023; ISBN: 978-9811274954

In the contemporary knowledge economy, technology transfer has become a critical mechanism underpinning industrial upgrading and regional development. For China—a leading actor in global technological innovation—the establishment of efficient and well-coordinated technology transfer and innovation networks is not merely a strategic choice for achieving high-quality growth, but an essential pathway toward regional coordination and industrial transformation. While a substantial body of literature has examined innovation diffusion and knowledge flows, most existing research remains grounded in economics and management studies. The geographical dimensions of these processes—how space, place, and scale mediate the circulation of knowledge—have received comparatively limited analytical attention. Against this background, Geography of Technology Transfer in China: A Glocal Network Approach, the recent volume by Professor Chengliang Liu and his research team, makes a timely and significant intervention. Published at a pivotal juncture—when China is fostering “new quality productive forces” and accelerating industrial restructuring through enhanced technology transfer—the book addresses fundamental questions concerning the architecture of technology transfer networks, their evolutionary dynamics, and China’s position within global systems of innovation.

A central theoretical contribution of the volume lies in its articulation of the “Culture–Territory–Network” trinity framework, an integrative lens that brings together cultural environments, territorial logics, and network structures. This triadic approach provides a robust and nuanced foundation for interpreting technology transfer as an inherently spatio-temporal process shaped by multi-scalar interactions. Building on this conceptual advance, the authors propose a “dual-pipeline” model that distinguishes between internal (domestic) and external (international) channels of technology flow, revealing their differentiated mechanisms and impacts on local innovation performance. In doing so, the book pushes the frontier of innovation geography by reconciling the study of global–local interdependencies with the specificities of China’s developmental context.

Methodologically, the work is distinguished by its sophisticated integration of geographical visualization, spatial econometrics, social network analysis, and dynamic network modeling. This mixed-methods design enables the authors to map the evolution of China’s technology transfer networks across international, national, and regional scales, while also rigorously analyzing their structural properties, determinants, and spillover effects. The result is a richly textured empirical narrative that captures both the complexity and dynamism of China’s innovation landscape—an achievement that demonstrates how spatial analytical tools can illuminate the relational logics of technological change.

Building upon this analytical foundation, the authors systematically unpack the operational mechanisms governing China’s technology transfer and innovation networks. Through a multi-scalar perspective extending from the global to the local, they demonstrate how geographical proximity and multi-dimensional proximity mechanisms—including cognitive, institutional, and organizational dimensions—facilitate the effective circulation of technological knowledge. The analysis reveals how global and domestic technology transfers exert distinct yet complementary influences on local innovation capacity, while highlighting the pivotal role of domestic networks in promoting balanced and coordinated regional development. These insights not only refine our understanding of China’s technological dynamics but also provide an empirically grounded basis for policies that enhance integration into global innovation networks and stimulate domestic industrial upgrading.

The book’s analytical depth is further enriched by a series of thematic explorations that extend beyond conventional approaches to technology transfer. It investigates how economic, educational, and institutional conditions shape the evolution of both domestic and transnational technology networks, emphasizing the significance of the broader innovation environment and the self-organizing properties of China’s technology cooperation systems. Particularly innovative is the discussion of infrastructure-enabled innovation, where the authors examine how aviation and high-speed rail networks facilitate the spatial diffusion of technological knowledge. This perspective not only reframes infrastructure as an active enabler of innovation but also demonstrates the tight coupling between transport and innovation networks in enhancing the global competitiveness of cities and regions. Such findings offer valuable insights for regional planning and policy design, situating technology transfer within a broader socio-spatial framework of development.

In conclusion, the book stands as a pioneering and empirically grounded contribution to the geography of science and innovation. The volume’s capacity to weave together theoretical sophistication, methodological innovation, and policy relevance marks a substantial advance in understanding the spatial dynamics of technological change. It offers both a penetrating analysis of China’s evolving innovation system and a transferable analytical framework for examining technology transfer in other national contexts. As the authors suggest, this work is poised to stimulate further debate and research on the spatiality of innovation and the governance of technology diffusion, particularly in developing economies navigating the challenges of technological catch-up amid intensifying global competition. The book is an indispensable reference for scholars and practitioners in economic geography, regional science, innovation studies, and technology policy