According to the 2020 edition of the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index (calculated on the basis of the 2018 index) released by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), China's manufacturing industry ranks second in global competitiveness (after Germany).。The index is calculated by eight indicators, including the global share of manufacturing exports, per capita manufacturing value added, and the share of high-tech exports in China, and evaluates the manufacturing competitiveness of 152 countries/regions around the world。Wang Youxin, a researcher at the Research Institute of the Bank of China, pointed out that the competitiveness of China's manufacturing industry has become an important support point for the steady recovery of the global economy。
China's manufacturing industry is developing well, and its overall competitiveness is obvious。According to the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, China's manufacturing exports accounted for 96 percent of total exports in 2018.4%, an increase of 12% over 1990.Four percentage points;The global competitiveness of China's manufacturing industry ranks second and has remained at this level for four consecutive years, 30 places higher than in 1990 and 10 places higher than in 2007 before the international financial crisis.The intensity of China's industrialization has been increasing in general, and the index was 53 in 1990.3 percent, rising to 66 percent in 2018.7%。With the improvement of the competitiveness of China's manufacturing industry, its position in the global industrial value chain and its spillover impact on the world manufacturing industry are gradually increasing。In 1990, China's manufacturing exports accounted for only 2 percent of global manufacturing exports.By 2008, it had climbed to 12%, becoming the world's largest exporter of manufacturing, and its export share further rose to 17% by 2018.2%。Similar to the trend of the index, China became the largest country in the world's manufacturing value added in 2009, and the global share reached 20.In 2018, it rose to 28 percent.9%。
The strong resilience of China's manufacturing sector has become an important bright spot in the world economic recovery。Shortly after the outbreak of the epidemic, China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) quickly rebounded, rising to above the line of growth and contraction in March 2020 and has remained so far, showing strong resilience。Driven by this, the scale of industrial production and export trade rebounded rapidly, becoming an important driving force supporting China's economy to turn positive in 2020 and continue to recover。In 2020, the contribution of the secondary industry to China's economic growth will reach 34 percent.4%, an increase of 7% over 2019.5 percentage points, the highest since 2015。In the first quarter of 2021, the contribution of the secondary industry to the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) was 47 percent.1 per cent, up 3 per cent from the previous quarter.8 percentage points, maintaining a good growth momentum。In the first four months of this year, China's export of goods grew by 44 percent, maintaining a good performance。In the context of global industrial chain restructuring and intensifying competition, the resilience and adjustment ability of China's manufacturing industry has strongly supported the steady recovery of China's economy。
The export structure and product quality of China's manufacturing industry have improved significantly, but the competitiveness of the high-tech manufacturing industry is still insufficient。At the same time of total growth, the export structure, performance and quality of export products of China's manufacturing industry have also improved。The proportion of medium and high technology manufacturing exports in total manufacturing exports increased from less than 30% in 1990 to more than 60% in 2018, and manufacturing exports are mainly medium and high technology manufactured goods。The quality of export products has improved significantly, with the industrial export quality index rising from 59 in 1990.6% to 83% in 2018, comparable to the quality of industrial exports in advanced economies。
However, it should not be ignored that China is still in the middle and lower reaches of the world industrial chain and value chain, and the value-added creativity of the medium and high-tech manufacturing industry is still weak。In the past 30 years, the proportion of China's high-tech manufacturing added value in the total manufacturing added value has increased slightly, from 37 percent in 1990.8% rose to 41 in 2018.5%, lower than the increase in the share of high-tech manufacturing exports (32.1 percentage point)。Using the ratio of the two to measure the value-added creation ability of medium and high technology manufacturing exports, it was 1 in 1990.3, compared with 0 at present.7. The increase in the export share of medium and high-tech manufacturing industry has not brought about the same proportion increase in added value, and the export performance needs to be strengthened。
In contrast, in Germany, Japan and other manufacturing powers, the share of high-tech manufacturing added value in the total manufacturing added value in 2018 was 61.7%和56.6%, 20 percent higher than China.2和15.One percentage point。China's manufacturing value added as a share of GDP also changed little, accounting for 29% in 2018, only about 8 percentage points higher than in 1990。
It should be noted that since 2013, the proportion of China's manufacturing value added to GDP has declined for five consecutive years, and the phenomenon of "deindustrialization" needs to be vigilant。此外，China's per capita manufacturing value-added needs to be further improved，In 1990 it was just $185，Although it was raised to $2,726 in 2018，But the level is still low，It is still far behind advanced economies such as Germany (9,148 dollars), the United States (6,762 dollars), Japan (7,556 dollars) and Singapore (10,974 dollars)。
The manufacturing industry in the Asia-Pacific region has become more competitive and the integration of industrial chains has accelerated。Overall, Europe, North America and East Asia are the three largest manufacturing bases in the world, but the development trend is different。Germany's manufacturing competitiveness ranks first in the world, and its ability to produce and export manufactured goods is outstanding。However, in terms of "technology deepening and upgrading" and "global influence", East Asian countries, such as China and South Korea, gradually emerged as the most competitive countries in the world. South Korea's manufacturing competitiveness rose one place to rank third in the world, mainly relying on key industries such as semiconductors, liquid crystal displays and petrochemicals, which remain highly competitive in the world。Although the North American region represented by the United States scored very high, the overall trend declined, ranking from the previous second in the world to fourth。
Asian economies have different endowments and value chain advantages, and their different characteristics complement each other to promote the integrated development of Asia's industrial chain。According to the estimates of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), from 2010 to 2018, the global value chain trade of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) increased by 34%, and the value chain trade within the region grew even faster, and the global value chain trade between RCEP member countries reached 1.$5 trillion, up 50 percent from 2010。As countries belong to different levels of the value chain, this provides a realistic possibility for further strengthening intra-regional cooperation and jointly building the Asia-Pacific value chain system in the future。
(Article from International Business Daily)