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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — At a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng cited the Chang'e lunar mission, China's Tiangong space station, the domestically-made C919 passenger plane, the launch of the luxury cruise ship Adora Magic City, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which filled a domestic gap in vital medical devices, as examples.
According to him, this shows that China is quickly moving from “following” to “leading” and increasingly “leading” the world.
But the list of achievements was not limited to aerospace and heavy equipment. Li Lecheng then moved from engineering feats to molecular science, highlighting new cancer treatments, with globally recognized “star products” like Brukinsa (zanubrutinib) providing further evidence of this growing momentum.
This particular drug exemplifies that shift. Developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company BeOne Medicines Ltd. and widely hailed by the industry as the country’s first “billion-dollar molecule,” Brukinsa is considered a potential best-in-class BTK inhibitor that has been approved in 75 markets, including the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The company’s self-developed drugs have already helped more than 1.8 million patients worldwide.
The breakthrough reflects a decade-long transformation. China's innovative drug sector has shown clear success in terms of the number of drugs in clinical trials and the quality of first-in-class drugs, according to data from brokerage Tianfeng Securities.
The brokerage's research note found that this acceleration is based on a unique combination of advantages – the presence of complete industrial supply chains, a deep pool of engineering talent, improving fundamental research and large-scale, sustained investment in R&D.
Such investments are visible across the economy. Spending on innovation has been steadily increasing, with large manufacturing firms with annual operating income of at least 20 million yuan (about $2.8 million) each spending more than 1.6 percent of their operating revenue on R&D over the past five years.
Thanks to these efforts, more than 570 industrial companies have entered the global top 2,500 in R&D spending, and 64 Chinese manufacturing companies have entered the Fortune 500 list in 2024, Li Lecheng noted.
This focus on R&D directly translates into advanced automation and modernized manufacturing. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), 46 Chinese cities are launching new technological transformation projects in test mode. China now accounts for more than 50 percent of newly installed industrial robots in the world, the minister emphasized.
The manufacturing frontier is also expanding. Li Lecheng noted that China now has the capability to manufacture humanoid robots in a complete cycle, covering key chips, components and general assembly. At the same time, the applications of brain-computer interfaces are expanding beyond medicine and finding new applications in education and industry.
This rapid progress has long attracted international attention. Juha Renning, vice president of euRobotics, recently called China the world’s largest robot market due to its widespread industrial adoption and described the country’s progress in robotics as “miraculous.”
He also called for deeper cooperation between Europe and China in the robotics supply chain. “I think if we make a joint effort, it will be a win-win situation,” he added.
Such industrial partnerships are already expanding around the world. For example, China National Chemical Engineering Corporation recently signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s QazaqGaz Science and Technology Center to implement a major coal-to-gas project. This partnership will leverage China’s leading coal chemistry and equipment manufacturing technologies to convert Kazakhstan’s abundant coal resources into clean natural gas.
This ability to undertake complex international projects is underpinned by unrivaled manufacturing capabilities. From 2021 to 2025, China's manufacturing value-added output is expected to account for over 30 percent of global manufacturing growth, and the country is set to maintain its position as the world's largest manufacturer for the 15th consecutive year.
China's key advantage is its systemic completeness, covering the vast majority of the 504 major industrial product categories recognized worldwide and occupying a leading position in the world in terms of production volumes for most of them.
This global market leadership was on display at IFA Berlin 2025, Europe’s largest consumer electronics trade show. The event highlighted the latest trends in artificial intelligence, sustainability and digital transformation. Chinese companies were a hard-to-ignore presence, with more than 690 companies taking part – more than a third of all exhibitors.
Nelson Holzner, CEO of MODIFI, noted that Chinese home appliance manufacturers are demonstrating a clear international position and are actively seeking mutually beneficial cooperation with global partners.
That view is shared by international executives with long experience in China's vast, dynamic market. Morii Guo, chairman of Yamazen Shanghai Trading Co., Ltd., noted that his company has been in China since 2002 and serves more than 10,000 businesses locally.
“China is the world’s most dynamic major manufacturing country and a source of innovation in the knowledge and digital industries,” Morii Guo said.
That consensus was reinforced Tuesday by a report from the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, which found that as the transformation of global supply chains accelerates, driven by economic shifts, trade protectionism and technological change, China is successfully upgrading its role from “the world’s factory” to a global supply chain hub.
Underpinning this hub status at the diplomatic level, China has jointly launched an initiative with a number of countries to enhance the resilience and stability of industrial and supply chains, aiming to protect global supply chains and develop more inclusive and stable partnerships, Li Lecheng concluded. -0-
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