Analysis of the Relationship between Transportation Infrastructure and Regional Economic Development in Yunnan Province

Yunnan is one of the provinces which play a key role in the construction of the "The Belt and Road" in China, thus, strengthening the level of its economic development will be conducive to the promotion of the construction of the international economic cooperation corridor. Based on the VAR model, this paper empirically analyzes the relationship between transportation infrastructure and economic growth in Yunnan Province from 1992 to 2015, namely roads, railways, and water transport. The results show that the transportation infrastructure and regional economic growth are linked to each other in Yunnan. Also, different types of transport infrastructure have mutual influences. Among them, the highways and waterways dominate. Yunnan should focus on building and improving the construction of transportation infrastructure to promote the coordinated development of regional economy.