China continues to strengthen, expand advanced manufacturing

Detailed summary

China’s manufacturing value added has ranked first in the world for 16 consecutive years, accounting for nearly 30% of the global total ...

Globally, one in three cars sold today is manufactured in China. Since 2013, sales of new energy vehicles in China have surged more than 930-fold, while their share of the auto market has grown more than 590-fold, giving rise to a rapidly expanding emerging industry worth trillions of yuan.

The automotive sector exemplifies the broader growth and upgrading of China’s advanced manufacturing sector.

China’s manufacturing value added has ranked first in the world for 16 consecutive years, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the global total.

Over the past decade, value-added output in high-tech and equipment manufacturing has grown at average annual rates of approximately 10 per cent and eight per cent, respectively.

China now holds a leading global position in sectors such as photovoltaics, telecommunications, high-speed rail, and shipbuilding, while robotics, AI, and innovative pharmaceuticals are accelerating rapidly. As the Chinese economy pivots toward innovation-driven, high-quality growth, advanced manufacturing has become a central pillar of this transition.

Against a backdrop of unprecedented global shifts and a new wave of industrial transformation, China is navigating a pivotal phase of economic restructuring. To ensure long-term stability and sustainability, the country is doubling down on the expansion and refinement of its advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Even a single sheet of ultra-thin steel foil illustrates the sophistication of China’s manufacturing evolution.

In Shanxi province, a subsidiary of Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co, Ltd produces precision stainless steel strips through fully automated processes — rolling, cleaning, polishing, leveling, slitting, and packaging. These materials, colloquially known as ‘hand-rip steel’, have seen their minimum thickness reduced from 0.02mm to 0.015mm. Having moved seamlessly from research and development to full-scale commercial production, these high-end alloys now trade at prices rivaling precious metals.

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