European Industry Is in Crosshairs of China’s New Five-Year Plan

BYD electric vehicles at a BYD Co. dealership in Berlin.Photographer: Liesa Johannssen/Bloomberg

For Europe, a new cycle of Chinese rivalry heralded by its latest roadmap for advancement is forcing soul searching on how to respond.

Beijing’s five-year plan issued in March articulates aspirations for technological sophistication that amount to another big warning to the region’s businesses: the same economy whose rise Germany and other manufacturing hubs long benefited from is now, more than ever, a threat to prosperity.