Local authorities no longer required to work on ‘Made in China 2025’
December 18, 2018 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
China has stopped requiring local governments to work on the “Made in China 2025” strategy, the latest directive issued by the Chinese government to local authorities showed, in a clear sign that Beijing is toning down a policy that has become a centerpiece of its rivalry with the U.S. 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.
The Chinese government has released a list of key policies for local governments to focus on, omitting any references to the scheme, which had been strongly opposed by the U.S. 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. In 2017 and early 2018, central authorities published a list of local governments to recognize and recommend their “outstanding achievement” in supporting the initiative.
The U.S. claimed that Chinese government support for the hi-tech sector would create an unequal playing field for U.S. tech companies. The omission is likely to be read as another indicator that China is attempting to play down its support for “Made in China 2025”, which has appeared less frequently in propaganda materials and official documents since the U.S. made its opposition clear during the summer. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that it was clear that China has been playing down the 2025 strategy, since there has been fewer talk about it. “But that doesn’t mean they’ve dropped it,” Ross said, adding that the U.S. does not oppose China’s efforts of moving into advanced technologies.
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