Research On The Vulnerability Characteristics Of Global Supply Chain Network Of High-End Medical Devices And Their Impact On China

Under the background of accelerated evolution of unprecedented changes in a century,a new round of industrial revolution and scientific and technological revolution is advancing rapidly,and the high-end medical device industry,known as the "sunrise industry",has increasingly become the frontier field of the international game.China’s medical device industry started late compared with developed countries,and most of the core components and high-end equipment host manufacturing overseas dependence is high,especially in the field of signal chains and sensors,almost controlled by international leaders.Once there is a risk of supply interruption in some or even some of the core supplier countries,it will cause immeasurable losses to the security of China’s supply chain.Therefore,based on the complexity of the global supply chain network of high-end medical devices,this paper selects the global supply data of highend medical devices from 2000～2019,and explores the evolution law of the global supply chain network pattern from the aspects of spatiotemporal pattern evolution,vulnerability assessment and impact mechanism with the help of social network analysis and GIS spatial analysis,so as to understand and master the global supply and demand situation and potential risks of high-end medical devices,and provide scientific basis for the overall optimization of the security pattern of China’s high-end medical device supply chain.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)In 2000～2019,the overall scale of the global supply chain of high-end medical devices showed a rapid expansion trend in fluctuations,and the total supply increased from 32.153 billion US dollars in 2000 to 164.3 billion US dollars in 2019,and the supply products were mainly therapeutic equipment and implanted interventional products,accounting for 46% and 25% of the global shares respectively;Developed countries such as the United States,Germany and the Netherlands have always occupied the mainstream of supply,a few are Asian countries such as China and Japan,and South America,Oceania and African countries are not on the list;The evolution of the product structure of the main supplier countries overlaps with the evolution of the global product structure,and China’s global ranking has risen from 18 th to 6th,ranking first among Asian countries,and the largest supply market has shifted from North America to Asian countries,with great potential for future development of countries along the "Belt and Road".(2)In 2000～2019,the spatial distribution of the global supply chain network of high-end medical devices showed a cross-continental "double-arch" pattern with the United States as the core to a cross-continental "multi-arch" pattern with Europe,America and Asia standing on three legs,and the rise of Asian countries was rapid;Although the United States is an absolute core country,the gap between it and subsequent countries in the same circle is constantly narrowing,and China has risen from a semi-core circle to a core circle.The number of network communities dropped from 4 in 2000 to 3 in 2019,the process of integration and division in time was significant,spatial continuity and leapfrogging coexisted,the influence of the two major associations with the United States and Germany as the core has weakened,and the status of Eurasian and African communities led by China in the network is prominent.(3)According to the vulnerability assessment results,in the subnet of four types of high-end medical devices,the network hierarchy of imaging equipment and implantable intervention products is high,the heterogeneity is weak,the high average clustering coefficient and low transmission hinder the openness of the network structure,and the network structure is highly fragile.The treatment equipment network has strong regional accessibility and radiation,the contact path and objects are more diversified,the overall network structure is balanced,the vulnerability is the lowest,the in vitro diagnostic product network is relatively flat,the heterogeneous and dense network structure can make it adjust and develop rapidly,and the vulnerability ranking is in the middle.According to the comprehensive evaluation results,the supply chain network of imaging equipment and implantable interventional products had the highest vulnerability,the supply chain network of in vitro diagnostic products was in the middle,and the supply chain network of therapeutic equipment had the strongest structural stability and lowest vulnerability.(4)The structural characteristics and vulnerabilities of supply chain networks are the result of the combined effect of exogenous network mechanism,internal structure mechanism and actor attribute mechanism.The difference in the comprehensive role of countries in politics,economy,culture and system is the exogenous network mechanism formed by the supply chain network pattern.The internal structure mechanism is manifested as the higher the reciprocity,the more "bridge" roles,the stronger the risk-bearing ability,the more stable the network,and the stronger the preference dependence effect,the easier it is to lead to network rigidity and increased vulnerability.The actor attribute mechanism is manifested as the stronger the radiation capacity of the core country,the stronger the debugging and control of the overall network,and once it suffers heavy damage or node function failure,the entire supply chain network will face paralysis and intensified vulnerability.Compared with homogeneous networks,network heterogeneity is higher,which can reduce restrictive factors such as region locking and path dependence,strengthen the efficient connection between core group countries,core group communities,and peripheral countries,and make adjustments when exposed to external interference to reduce network vulnerability.(5)China has maintained a good development trend in the supply chain network of high-end medical devices,and has achieved great development in the ability to resist risks and control the supply chain;In 2019,China’s network scale was second only to developed countries in Europe and the United States,nearly 30 times more than in 2000,and its performance in imaging equipment was outstanding;The international market shows a trend of mainly European and American countries,supplemented by the dispersion of countries along the "Belt and Road" and neighboring countries,and the key paths often originate from developed countries in Europe and the United States,with strong path dependence and concentration;While enhancing its status as a "hub" in the network,China needs to optimize its market layout,strengthen its focus on core nodes in the supply chain network,and prevent risk contagion effects in a timely manner.Guide and enhance scientific and technological innovation and actively build a domestic supply chain;Optimize the external supply environment,give play to the preferred connection effect,and actively respond to the vulnerability of the high-end medical device supply chain network.