Diversification and Revealed Competitiveness in Frozen and Non-Frozen Crab Exports: An Economic-Trade Sustainability Assessment of Canada, China, and Vietnam
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study aimed to assess the economic-trade sustainability of crab exports from Canada, Vietnam and China by contrasting frozen (HS 030614) and non-frozen (HS 030633) segments in terms of destination diversification and revealed competitiveness. In this study, economic-trade sustainability is interpreted as the structural coherence between destination diversification, revealed competitiveness, and the trade conditions that support export continuity in perishable products. A quantitative, descriptive within-country design was implemented using ITC Trade Map secondary data for 2020–2024. Destination concentration was measured with the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), competitiveness with symmetric revealed comparative advantage (SRCA), structural orientation with a Relative Specialization Index (RSI), and an integrated positioning matrix combined mean HHI and SRCA with export-weighted centering and confidence intervals. The results indicated persistently high concentration in Canada across both segments, with frozen exports locked into a United States corridor and non-frozen exports becoming increasingly China-dependent. China exhibited moderate concentration and a more regionally dispersed portfolio, alongside stable competitive advantages in several Asian markets, while showing selective disadvantages in some Western destinations. Vietnam displayed the highest structural vulnerability, particularly in the non-frozen segment, with extremely high HHI, abrupt destination shifts and competitiveness confined to a narrow corridor. Overall, preservation-form segmentation shaped distinct risk architectures, and sustainability depended on the joint configuration of diversification and competitive strength.
Source: Sustainability
DOI: 10.3390/su18063157
Authors: Jose Carlos Montes Ninaquispe, Luisa Angelica Orejuela Guerrero, Eleodora del Pilar Orejuela Guerrero, Carlos José Sandoval Reyes, Marcos Marcelo Flores Castillo, Christian David Corrales Otazú, Sarita Jessica Apaza Miranda, Gustavo Adolfo Ugarriza Gross, Jose Alfredo Castañeda Nassi, Francisco Elias Rodriguez Novoa, Marco Agustín Arbulú Ballesteros
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W7140125985