Beijing no longer requires local governments to work on ‘Made in China 2025’, but hi-tech ambitions remain

‘Made in China 2025’ is not included in the latest guidelines issued to local authorities by the central Chinese government

The change marks a clear sign that Beijing is toning down the strategy that triggered concerns from the US

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The “Made in China 2025” strategy was launched by Premier Li Keqiang in 2015. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:00pm, 13 Dec 2018Updated: 9:07am, 14 Dec 2018

China has stopped requiring local governments to work on the “Made in China 2025” strategy, the latest directive issued by the central Chinese government to local authorities showed, in a clear sign that Beijing is toning down a policy that has become a centrepiece of its rivalry with the US.

However, China will continue to pursue its ambition of becoming an industrial and technological power, with the directive making clear that the initiative has been dropped in name only.

“Made in China 2025” had the clear target of increasing domestic players’ market share of key hi-tech sectors such as robotics and new energy vehicles.

China’s State Council, the country’s cabinet, this week released a list of key policies for local governments to focus on, which omitted any references to the scheme, which had been strongly opposed by the US government.

In the previous guideline, issued in November 2016, Beijing set up a special fund for “Made in China 2025” and clearly stated that local governments should offer financial support to projects and enterprises related to the policy.

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