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How Puma fits into Chinese sportswear maker Anta’s plan to challenge global rivals

Reporter’s notebook: my week with Huawei’s new US$3,500 trifold phone

SCMP Plus Going Global 100

US issues first outbound investment fine over Chinese robotics AI deal

China manufacturing

How China’s traditional powerhouses are handling its economic transformation

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Economy

China Economy

In Kunshan, China’s Foxconn nerve centre, old tech tries to learn new tricks

illustration by Lau Ka-kuen

Apple CEO Tim Cook (right) visits a Luxshare plant in Kunshan in December 2017 with Luxshare co-founder Wang Laichun (rear). Photo: Handout

A robot interacts with a child on the street in Kunshan in January. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

A pilot monitors the landing of AutoFlight’s Matrix eVTOL aircraft at the company’s flight testing site in Kunshan on February 24. Photo: AP

City at heart of Yangtze River Delta region sees new tech dreams emerge as old ones based on mass production of electronics fade.


How China’s tech transformation is putting the ‘world’s factory’ in a tough spot

Illustration: Henry Wong

Everwin Toys’ factory sits empty in Dongguan, Guangdong province, after the company shut the facility in December. About 2,000 people used to work at the facility. Photo: He Huifeng

Businesses near the Everwin Toys factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, have shut down since the facility’s closure. Photo: He Huifeng

Dongguan has long been known as the “world’s factory” due to its status as a hub for export manufacturing. Photo: He Huifeng

Dongguan reflects a growing polarisation in the Chinese economy, with many factories and workers left behind as hi-tech firms surge ahead.


China’s Hainan wants more than beach tourism. Will new customs rules cause a sea change?

The 39 buildings at Ocean Flower Island marked for demolition by the city government of Danzhou, Hainan in 2022. Photo: Reuters

After three speculative booms – and busts – the island province is seeking sustainable growth based on new status as a free-trade port.


As China undergoes a sweeping economic transition, its powerhouses of yesteryear must adapt or risk falling behind, as traditional industries become less reliable growth drivers. In this series, we explore three representative areas of the country as they attempt to navigate this rapidly changing environment.


Series

How China’s traditional powerhouses are handling its economic transformation

AI, flying cars drive economic transition in China’s Kunshan

City at heart of Yangtze River Delta region sees new tech dreams emerge as old ones based on mass production of electronics fade.

China’s exports are booming – so why are plants in this factory hub closing?

Dongguan reflects a growing polarisation in the Chinese economy, with many factories and workers left behind as hi-tech firms surge ahead.

Chinese island province wants more than beachgoers as it chases economic growth

After three speculative booms – and busts – the island province is seeking sustainable growth based on new status as a free-trade port.