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Opinion
How ‘little giants’ help China defend its manufacturing dominance
Support for ‘little giants’ and other specialised SMEs remains a vital part of the long-term strategy to bolster China’s global manufacturing
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Zongshuai Fan is a senior policy analyst at Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, University of Cambridge, whose expertise spans manufacturing and intellectual property.
Against the news of China’s record trade surplus of US$1.19 trillion last year, some have warned it is making trade impossible, arguing that the rest of the world has fewer goods they can sell, or are willing to sell, to China. Critics point to China’s competitive edge in producing better and cheaper goods.
For Beijing, this feels less like criticism and more like a subtle compliment. In many ways, it affirms China’s long-term strategy to bolster its global manufacturing.
Supporting technology-driven small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a vital part of that strategy. Since the policy concept of targeted SME support was introduced in 2011, the authorities have developed a multi-tier framework to identify high-performing companies and direct support to them.
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