On April 8th, the South Korean media "Korea Economic Daily" published an article stating that the definition of Made in China needs to change. In the past, "Made in China" symbolized low price and low quality, but it's time to change that perception.
China has rapidly taken the lead, while decelerating South Korea seems to be falling further behind the leading China. China is not chasing South Korea; instead, China has become the target for South Korea to catch up with.
In fact, China has already surpassed South Korea. All industries considered promising, such as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, batteries, displays, robotics, renewable energy, etc., have been overtaken by China. According to analysis by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, China's charging battery technology leads South Korea by 3.5 years, and its 3D printing technology leads by 4.7 years. The industry competitiveness gap in bio-plastics, carbon composites, and robot manufacturing has expanded to 3.4 years, 3.1 years, and 0.9 years respectively.
Even in the semiconductor field, China is beginning to take the lead. Semiconductors are a key national industry and major export product in South Korea. There is no doubt that the South Korean economy depends on semiconductors. According to a report by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning, China's foundational capabilities and technical levels in semiconductor design, materials, front-end processing, and back-end processing have been assessed as surpassing South Korea. In high-performance low-power AI semiconductor technology and power semiconductor technology, China's foundational strength has been superior to South Korea since 2022. In high-density resistive memory technology and next-generation high-performance sensing technology, South Korea is still ahead, but it will soon be reversed. Advanced semiconductor packaging technology has caught up to a similar level.
Not only in terms of technological level, but also in global market position, China has surpassed South Korea. China is striving to improve cost efficiency by introducing large-scale production systems and automation processes. This is a strategy to leverage the extensive domestic market of the companies themselves.
China is creating a more relaxed environment than any other country in the world. Major tech companies like Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu have also committed to increasing new investments. Efforts are being made to vigorously build advanced technology talent teams, with a focus on nurturing young senior talents. Additionally, measures are actively taken to attract foreign high-end talents, establishing talent recruitment networks worldwide, and hiring foreign scientists and technical experts.
China's technological level is enough to make the United States feel nervous. It's time to redefine Made in China. China's economic scale is ten times that of South Korea, yet it still grows at a rate of 5% annually. China's population is 26 times that of South Korea, and considering South Korea's birth rate, population decline, and aging, the gap will only widen.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828800914008074/
Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.