Strategic Plan of “Made in China 2025” and Its Implementation

Introduction

The US has introduced a package of policies and specialized plans to reinvigorate its manufacturing industry by revolving around “reindustrialization”. Besides, it has put forward “A National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing”, aiming at strengthening advantages of its technology-intensive advanced manufacturing industry. German is implementing “Industry 4.0” policy. Japan has a different focus. By releasing “New Robot Strategy”, Japan attempts to accelerate development of cooperative robots and unmanned plants to revolutionize the robot industry, cope with aggravation of Japanese social and economic issues, and enhance international competitiveness of Japan’s manufacturing industry. As to France with “New Industrial France” promoted, layout optimization of the manufacturing industry is more important. UK, however, is invigorating its manufacturing industry through the “high-value manufacturing” strategy, and the strategy has so far entered Phase II. South Korea, a neighboring country of China, has put forward the “advanced innovators’ strategy” so as to promote mutual integration between the manufacturing industry and information technology, create new industries, and scale a new high for its manufacturing competitiveness. China is no exception; thus this article provides a comprehensive analysis of “Made in China 2025” strategic plan as well as its implementation. This article provides new insights to practitioners in manufacturing industries, with guidelines to benefit the decision making processes. Moreover, we also would like to enrich the academic literature by extending the focus of advanced manufacturing topics from advanced economics to emerging market perspective. Doing so also gives both practitioners and academia an open discussion on the newly formulated national policies of advanced manufacturing in a broader scope of countries.