Visualizing the North–South Divide of international visitors: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta in China

The North–South Divide, which historically divided global national development, is now being questioned due to the rise of the Global South represented by China. We analyze the impact of this divide using global connections observed through international visitors to the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in China. We visualized the global origins of international visitors to the YRD region and their spatial distribution within the region. The cartogram depicts a significant contribution of the Global North to the scale of international visitors in the YRD region, indicating a closer functional connection between mainland China and the Global North. This suggests that the influence of the North–South Divide on mainland China persists. Despite mainland China strengthening South–South Cooperation through the Belt and Road national strategy, the crucial role played by the Global North in China’s economic globalization is challenging to reverse in the short term. Additionally, the successful path taken by China may not be universally applicable to all of the Global South.