  In this paper, we empirically analyze the spatial distribution of Chinese
cities using a method based on triangle transition. This method uses a regular
triangle mapping from the observed cities and its three neighboring cities to
analyze their distribution of mapping positions. We find that obvious
center-gathering tendency for the relationship between cities and its nearest
three cities, indicating the spatial competition between cities. Moreover, we
observed the competitive trends between neighboring cities with similar
economic volume, and the remarkable cooperative tendency between neighboring
cities with large difference on economy. The threshold of the ratio of the two
cities' economic volume on the transition from competition to cooperation is
about 1.2. These findings are helpful in the understanding of the cities
economic relationship, especially in the study of competition and cooperation
between cities.
