A Study on the Regional Leadership Mechanism for the Recognition of Data Assets on Balance Sheets in the Eastern Regions from the Perspective of Digital-Physical Integration

Abstract

The inclusion of data assets in financial statements represents a fundamental institutional reform that drives the deep integration of the digital and physical economies and facilitates the transformation of data as a factor of production into capital. China’s practices regarding the inclusion of data assets in financial statements exhibit a distinct regional gradient characterised by ‘strong in the east, weak in the west’. Leveraging policy pilot schemes, industrial accumulation, digital governance and market ecosystems, the eastern regions have established a comprehensive first-mover advantage, taking the lead in establishing a standardised accounting governance model for data assets and continuing to exert a radiating and driving influence on the central and western regions. Drawing on innovation diffusion theory and regional factor spillover theory, this paper elaborates in detail on the logic behind the formation of the Eastern Region’s leading potential in data asset recognition, establishes a multi-dimensional, synergistic framework for regional leadership transmission, analyses the practical obstacles currently hindering the operation of this leadership mechanism, and proposes systematic pathways for optimisation. The research finds that the eastern region, through composite pathways such as the export of institutional norms, the dissemination of digital technologies, the synergistic transmission along industrial chains, and financial value spillovers, has driven the development of national data asset accounting towards standardisation and homogenisation. However, at the present stage, it still faces constraints such as insufficient cross-regional adaptability of standards, structural imbalances in technical support, high barriers to industrial collaboration, and lagging financial support models. This paper proposes four pathways—refining a tiered and adaptable accounting standards model, extending inclusive digital governance services to the grassroots level, deepening cross-regional industrial collaboration, and strengthening a comprehensive data-driven financial ecosystem—which can serve as a reference for enhancing the exemplary and leading role of the eastern region as a pioneer. This paper conducts a study on the regional leadership mechanisms for the inclusion of data assets in balance sheets in the eastern region.