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The main purpose of the paper is to investigate the relationship between technological innovation and income inequality for China based on the financial Kuznets curve (FKC) hypothesis. The study uses time-series data from 1985 to 2019. We employ the Johansen cointegration, ARDL model and VECM Granger causality techniques to analyze the links between the variables. We also use the DOLS, FMOLS and CCR mechanisms to estimate the long-run parameters. The paper finds that the FKC is valid for China’s economy in the long run. Technological innovation positively affects the urban-rural income gap, while there is an inverted-U shaped between financial development and the urban-rural income gap. The relationship between financial development and the urban-rural income gap is bi-directional causality. Technological innovation and the urban-rural income gap cause each other. Empirical results suggest a twofold policy meaning: i) to further the financial system and ii) to eliminate the adverse impacts of technological innovations on income distribution.

Under the background of “the Belt and Road” and “China, Mongolia and Russia economic corridor” initiatives, this paper studied the spatial distribution pattern evolution of population and economy in Russia since the 21st century, which could provide implications for the regional development planning, economic optimization layout, energy resource development, transportation infrastructure construction between China and Russia. Combined with the panel data of population, GDP, land area, etc., we used the gravity center analysis, geographic concentration degree, and inconsistency index to study Russia’s population pattern evolution trend, economic pattern evolution trend, spatial inconsistency types of population distribution and economic development. The results and conclusions are as follows. Russia’s population and economic gravity centers have migrated towards the northwest direction. Russia’s population and economic distribution pattern presents the unbalanced development trend, which could be characterized by the differentiation pattern of “High West, Low East” and “High South, Low North” divided by the Ural Federal District. In the southwest areas of Russia, the population concentration degree is higher than the economic concentration degree in most federal subjects. In the northeast areas of Russia, the economic concentration degree is higher than the population concentration degree in most federal subjects.

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Under the background of “the Belt and Road” and “the economic corridor of China, Mongolia and Russia” initiatives, it has great value to study the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the coordinated development between the urbanization and ecological environment in eastern Russia (the Siberian Federal District and the Far East Federal District). In this paper, we studied the urbanization development level, eco-environment development level, and their coupling coordinated development degree during 2005–2018 in the eastern Russia from the perspectives of the 3D global trend and 2D plane analysis. First, combining with the Population-Economic-Sociology and Pressure-State-Response models, the urbanization development level and eco-environment development level were calculated by the comprehensive weighting method of entropy weight and variation coefficient for eastern Russia. Second, the coupling coordinated development degree of the urbanization development level and eco-environment development level was measured by the coupling coordination model for eastern Russia. Finally, the spatial differentiation of the urbanization development level, the eco-environment development level and their coupling coordinated development degree was performed respectively by the 3D global trend and 2D plane analysis using ArcGIS. The results are as following. First, the comprehensive urbanization development level of eastern Russia has increased from 2005 to 2018, and the economic urbanization is the main factor that affects the urbanization development in eastern Russia. The comprehensive eco-environment development level of eastern Russia has decreased from 2005 to 2018, and the eco-environment pressure is the main factor that affects the eco-environment development in eastern Russia. The coupling coordination degree of the urbanization development and eco-environment development has increased from 2005 to 2018. However, it is still in the uncoordinated stage. Second, from 2005 to 2018, the urbanization development level of the Siberian Federal District is higher than that of the Far East Federal District. The eco-environment development level of the Siberian Federal District is balanced to that of the Far East Federal District. The coupling coordination degree of the Siberian Federal District is higher than that of the Far East Federal District. Among the Siberian and Far East Federal Districts, most of the federal subjects belong to the uncoordinated stage of the urbanization development and the eco-environment development. Third, the urbanization development level, the eco-environment development level, and their coupling coordinated development level are all spatially imbalanced in the eastern Russia, which show the “High West, Low East” and “High Center, Low North and Low South” spatial pattern from the perspectives of the 3D global trend and 2D plane analysis. The areas with high levels are concentrated in the Novosibirsk Region, Altay Territory, Kemerovo Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, and Irkutsk Region. The areas with low ones are mostly in the Republic of Altay and Chukotka Autonomous Area. Finally, we suggest policies and strategies that can boost the growth and development of the urbanization and the eco-environment in the Sino-Russian border areas.