Made in China 2025 Fails Advanced Manufacturing

A worker producing photovoltaic (PV) modules for solar panels in a factory in Suqian, eastern Jiangsu Province, China, on Jan. 23, 2025. STR/AFP via Getty Images10/28/2025|Updated: 10/28/2025CommentaryXi Jinping’s vision for “Made in China 2025” and for China’s global leadership by 2040 calls for the country to dominate advanced manufacturing. However, so far, only a small percentage of Chinese factories qualify as truly advanced under the most widely accepted definitions.Antonio Graceffo, Ph.D., is a China economy analyst who has spent more than 20 years in Asia. Graceffo is a graduate of the Shanghai University of Sport, holds an MBA from Shanghai Jiaotong University, and studied national security at American Military University.Author’s Selected Articles