Collaborative agglomeration of digital and manufacturing industries: a pathway to strengthening green resilience

As environmental concerns and strict regulations reshape the industrial landscape, the manufacturing sector is under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices. China is intensifying efforts to promote a green, low-carbon, and circular economy as part of its modernization agenda. This study explores the impact of collaboration between the digital and manufacturing industries on the green resilience of the manufacturing sector. Using panel data from 30 provinces, it employs fixed effects, moderating effects, threshold effects, and spatial econometric models to analyze the relationship. The findings indicate that collaborative agglomeration positively enhances the green resilience of the manufacturing industry, with local government innovation competition further strengthening this collaboration. The relationship between agglomeration and green resilience is nonlinear, exhibiting a “U-shaped” pattern. Additionally, the study reveals spatial spillover effects, where geographical proximity influences the level of green resilience. The impact of digital manufacturing collaboration also varies regionally, underscoring the importance of local context. The study highlights that enhancing inter-regional cooperation and digital transformation in manufacturing is vital for promoting green resilience and sustainable economic growth in China.