How ‘Made in China 2025’ Frames Trump's Trade Gripes

The Chinese government’s “Made in China 2025” plan was introduced as a blueprint for transforming the country into an advanced manufacturing economy. It’s come to represent what international competitors, notably the U.S. under President Donald Trump, dislike about how China plays in the global marketplace. Tariffs imposed by Trump took aim at many of the industries highlighted in the plan. It appears China may be willing to amend the plan, perhaps even postponing some of it by a decade, if that helps bring an end to the trade war.

The plan, released in 2015, identified 10 industries in which China aspired to become globally competitive by 2025 and globally dominant during this century. Those industries: robotics, new-energy vehicles, biotechnology, aerospace, high-end shipping, advanced rail equipment, electric power equipment, agricultural machinery, new materials (such as those used in screens and solar cells) and new generation information technology and software (including integrated circuits and telecommunications devices). There’s also a separate development strategy for Artificial Intelligence, published in 2017; China wants to become the world’s primary AI innovation center by 2030.