Logistics complexity, regulatory uncertainty, and dynamic capabilities in industrial cross-border e-commerce strategy: Evidence from China–USA semiconductors trade relations

This study aims to examine how systemic trade constraints affect industrial cross border e-commerce strategic resilience (ICESR) in the China–USA semiconductor trade. Specifically, it seeks to determine the direct effects of sanction induced trade friction (SITF), supply chain digital fragmentation (SCDF), and geo-economic dependence risk (GEDR) on ICESR, assess the moderating role of adaptive reconfiguration capability (ARC), and compare whether these relationships differ between Chinese and U.S. semiconductor firms. Using a dynamic capabilities perspective complemented by a structural functionalist view, the study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) to data collected from 884 semiconductor industry respondents. The results show that SITF, SCDF, and GEDR significantly weaken ICESR, reducing firms' ability to sustain operational continuity and competitive positioning under disruption. ARC significantly mitigates these negative effects by enabling firms to reconfigure assets, processes, and partnerships more effectively. Multigroup analysis further reveals no statistically significant differences between Chinese and U.S. semiconductor firms in how systemic trade constraints and ARC shape strategic resilience, despite their different positions in the global value chain. The study demonstrates that under rising geopolitical strain, strategic resilience in industrial cross border e-commerce depends not only on the nature of external trade constraints but also on the firm's adaptive capability to respond to them. These findings offer important implications for managers and policymakers in high technology trade environments.