Recently, Japanese media have quietly revisited China's Made in China 2025 plan and discovered many secrets, but many people haven't noticed yet.
The latest research report by Japan Media Yomiuri Shimbun points out that China's manufacturing industry is quietly reshaping the world industrial chain in a "slow-cooking frog" manner. Compared with the "Made in China 2025" plan proposed ten years ago, breakthroughs achieved today in key areas such as medical devices, 5G communication, and industrial mother machines have made Japanese business circles exclaim, "We underestimated the speed of China."
Similarly, The Nikkei Asian Review has also released several articles recently, pointing out breakthroughs made by Chinese manufacturing in ten major fields including shipbuilding, space development, rockets, automobiles, semiconductors, new materials, and robotics. For example, in 2024, China accounted for 70% of global shipbuilding volume, one out of every two electric vehicles sold globally was a Chinese brand, photovoltaics accounted for 60% of the world market, and high-speed rail was 15 times that of the Shinkansen...
In fact, it's not surprising that Japanese media are concerned about this, as these changes have already permeated the lives of domestic and international consumers. First, let's talk about overseas markets. Data shows that China-made MRI equipment has captured 25% of the global market share, with prices 40% lower than Siemens' similar models from Germany. In electronics stores in Ginza district of Tokyo, the sales ratio of DJI drones to Sony cameras reached 3:1. Even more astonishing is the field of industrial robots, where in 2024, Chinese brands took three of the top five spots in global sales for the first time, eroding nearly 15% of FANUC's market share in Japan.
Talking about domestic markets, in the Huaqiangbei electronic market in Shenzhen, the price of domestic 5G modules dropped by 60% in just two years, driving the average price of smart home devices below 200 yuan. Even Japanese tourists are buying portable electrocardiogram (ECG) devices made in China in duty-free shops. This product, which integrates AI diagnostic functions, weighs only as much as a mobile phone.
Changes in cars, phones, and household appliances are even more obvious. Previously, many people pursued imports, but now the trend has reversed. Domestic promotion of trade-in programs, with both domestic and foreign brands participating, has resulted in rising sales of domestic new energy vehicles while imported cars are not selling well. Recently, Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, and Midea have seen their prices drop to 80% of their original prices on Vipshop due to government subsidies and platform discounts, gaining popularity among young people. Sales of Huawei laptops have surged year-over-year. In response to situations like this, foreign media have frankly stated that Apple is facing its strongest competitor in China.
Unlike Western restrictions and suppression, Japan's view of China's rise in manufacturing is very rational, knowing how to use leverage. For instance, Japanese home appliance brands cooperate with Chinese companies, and a century-old machine tool enterprise in Osaka moved its R&D center to Suzhou. As Japanese experts said, Chinese engineers understand intelligence better than our headquarters, advancing by one iteration cycle.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831558269336588/
Disclaimer: The article represents the author's personal views.