Abstract: Relying on digital empowerment to realize the upclimbing of global value chain is mainly through five aspects: network link effect, cost reduction effect, value creation effect, value chain governance effect and trade rule effect. As for the realization path, the medium and high-end development paths are needed, such as industrial digitization, industrial intelligence, industrial service and industrial greening. It must be pointed out that the above mechanism and realization path generated by technology itself are generally useful for all countries and regions. However, the upclimbing of the global value chain is essentially a relative change in the status of the division of labor among countries. Therefore, the above action mechanism and realization path only provide a possibility rather than inevitability for a specific country or region. At present, China has both advantages and disadvantages in the field of digital technology and digital economy. To rely on digital empowerment to realize the upclimbing of the global value chain, we need to seize the major strategic opportunities brought by the new round of information technology revolution represented by digital technology, speed up the construction of digital infrastructure, implement major digital technology engineering projects, and build an open-source digital technology innovation ecosystem, and build a first mover advantage in international competition.
