Ministry: High-tech focus to boost exports

Aviation, transport and telecom sectors also to get renewed impetus as China continues to upgrade industry

China expects to export more aviation, transportation and telecommunications technology and products this year, and will continue to upgrade its industry at home, the Ministry of Commerce said on Jan 25.

Transforming from a manufacturer of low-grade consumer goods to producing higher-value-added products, while maintaining stable domestic economic growth, lies at the core of the export policy, according to Zhi Luxun, deputy director-general of the ministry's department of foreign trade.

Exports of China's rail and aviation technology, as well as machine tools and rail industries, grew between 15 and 30 percent in 2015.

At the same time, the country's telecom and power-equipment industries expanded their presence in 140 countries and regions, including highly developed markets such as the European Union and the United States.

"The country's fast-growing 4G telecom networks and the Made in China 2025 strategy will further lead to improvements in productivity and resource efficiency this year," Zhi says. "The potential benefits are even greater if they are extended to every stage of the value chain, from suppliers and manufacturers through to customers."

Shi Ziming, deputy director-general of outward investment and economic cooperation for the ministry, adds that China's ongoing urbanization process has caused labor-intensive industries to struggle, as they face myriad difficulties, including high staff turnover, especially in computer, communication and consumer electronics product manufacturing.

By combining global market demand, China has gradually shifted its focus to high-end industrial research and development, which has delivered technical breakthroughs in high-tech sectors such as offshore engineering, robotics, computers and communication, and in upgraded consumer electronics products.

Shi says the Belt and Road Initiative will boost China's exports of high-speed rail technology and related products - now considered a pillar product for high-end product exports - as a number of nations, especially in Southeast Asia, look to boost economic growth via modern transportation networks.

The initiative, proposed in 2013, aims to improve trade and infrastructure by creating the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The planned networks will connect Asia, Europe and Africa, and passed through more than 60 countries and regions.

China started construction last week on Indonesia's first high-speed railroad, which will stretch from the capital, Jakarta, to the city of Bandung. The Chinese government hopes the move will encourage more Southeast Asian nations to upgrade their rail systems.

The Asian Development Bank says China's high-end product exports accounted for 43.7 percent of Asia's annual total in 2014, up from 9.4 percent in 2000.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/29/2016 page30)