Assessing the outcomes of "Made in China 2025": results, reactions and future prospects ​

Over the past decades, China has evolved from an agrarian economy into a global manufacturing power. However, its economic growth relied on technology transfers from Western countries, and the export of low-quality, low-tech goods. In order to reduce dependence on foreign technologies, increase innovation, and solve the problems faced by the manufacturing industry, in 2015, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang launched the “Made in China 2025” policy, inspired by Germany’s “Industry 4.0” plan. "Made in China 2025" identifies ten strategic sectors, including robotics, next-generation information technology, biopharmaceuticals, and high-tech medical devices, and relies on a series of tools, such as state-backed investment funds, technology-seeking acquisitions abroad and, in some cases, even forced technology transfers in exchange for access to the market. However, it has caused strong international criticism and concern, particularly from the United States and the European Union, scared to lose their economic, technological, and strategic advantages. The main purpose of this thesis is therefore to analyse whether “Made in China 2025” has achieved the targets set in its first official program or not. However, finding material to address this question has been really difficult: although in the period immediately following its introduction, the plan received significant media attention, in the subsequent years, an enormous lack of serious empirical research emerged. This reflects, in part, the difficulty of accurately measuring the existence and incidence of “Made in China 2025”, but it is also the result of international criticism and the Sino-American trade war. Moreover, reliable public data are scarce, available sources often display biases and isolating the direct effects of “Made in China 2025” from broader economic trends or other policy initiatives is significantly complex. In order to overcome these challenges, this thesis uses case studies, literature review, and exploratory data analysis to provide a complete overview of the plan. In this way, it also tries to address a gap in existing studies, that often focus only on sector-specific results, while also offering a reflection on the future prospects of the country.