Low level of innovation is affecting the Chinese manufacturing industry’s ability to grow from “big” to “strong”, according to an industrial report by the Liaowang Institution, a domestic research organization under Xinhua News Agency. A large number of core technologies being used in manufacturing are imported, the report added, based on a survey of 93 large manufacturing companies. China’s rate of transformation of scientific and technological achievements is about 10%, far less than that of the developed countries, which is about 40%. Chinese companies need to boost investment in research and development (R&D), especially amid the country’s implementation of the ‘Made-in-China 2025’ strategy, for switching from low-end processing to more value-added production, the Liaowang Institution said.