Is it time Beijing ditched ‘Made in China 2025’ and stopped upsetting the rest of the world?
Ambitious scheme for industrial upgrading has sparked universal concern, but it was only ever meant as a guideline, academic says
Beijing should stop touting “Made in China 2025” as a development strategy and instead present it as simply a guideline for upgrading its manufacturing sector if it wants to ease growing concerns about its global ambitions, a Chinese academic said.
Zhong Wei, a professor at Beijing Normal University, said the government should, in public at least, play down the significance of the scheme, which is seen in the United States and Europe as indisputable evidence of China’s aim to dominate hi-tech sectors via state-sponsored activities.
Beijing, meanwhile, insists the plan does not exclude foreign companies and that Washington’s opposition to it is just an attempt to thwart China’s rise.
Zhong told the South China Morning Post that despite the fanfare, Made in China was actually little more than a guideline for development drafted by the State Council – China’s cabinet – and in no way a detailed action plan.