Cross-border personnel mobility and bilateral value chain linkages: Evidence from visa liberalization in China

The cross-border personnel mobility has emerged as a crucial feature and trend in the process of globalization. This paper examines the impact of unilateral visa-free-entry policies in China on bilateral value chain linkages using a DID model. The research reveals that the implementation of visa-free-entry policies significantly promotes bilateral value chain linkages, with this effect lasting for approximately four years. Mechanism tests suggest that visa-free-entry policies facilitate the acquisition of soft information and strengthen the linkage between domestic and foreign value chains through three pathways: promoting information dissemination, enhancing the trust environment, and extending production steps. Heterogeneous analysis demonstrates that the positive impact of cross-border personnel mobility is more pronounced in low asset-specific industries, manufacturing, and the service sector. It has a greater effect on forward value chain linkages and high-value chain linkage industries. This paper provides valuable insights for the rational simplification of cross-border personnel mobility restrictions and procedures.