China's manufacturing value added has held the top global position for 16 consecutive years, representing nearly 30 percent of the global total, according to reports published by Khaleej Times and People's Daily. Over the past decade, high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing value-added output expanded at average annual rates of approximately 10 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Globally, one in every three cars sold today is manufactured in China. Since 2013, sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China have surged more than 930-fold, while their market share has increased more than 590-fold, establishing an emerging domestic sector valued in trillions of yuan. China also maintains leading positions in photovoltaics, telecommunications, high-speed rail, and shipbuilding, alongside accelerated development in robotics, artificial intelligence, and innovative pharmaceuticals.
In industrial digitization, the country has built more than 56,000 basic-level smart factories, over 9,000 advanced-level smart factories, and more than 500 excellence-level smart factories, as well as 15 flagship smart facilities. These facilities integrate next-generation AI, cloud computing, and big data analytics under China's ongoing "AI + manufacturing" initiative.
Advanced materials production has also registered technical upgrades. In Shanxi province, a subsidiary of Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. has reduced the minimum thickness of its precision stainless steel foil—known as "hand-rip steel"—from 0.02 mm to 0.015 mm through automated rolling, cleaning, and slitting operations.
Sources
- Khaleej Times · 2026-11-12
