At the heart of China’s industrial revolution, a quiet yet seismic shift is unfolding. Once synonymous with mass production and low-cost labor, the nation’s construction machinery sector now leads the world in intelligent manufacturing, redefining global supply chains amid geopolitical headwinds and technological rivalry. On a windswept construction site in North China, a towering yellow crane – the XCA4000, the world’s largest-tonnage wheeled lifting machine – was being put to work 162 meters above the ground. “The ‘4,000’ in its name signifies the theoretical maximum lifting capacity of 4,000 metric tons, which is achievable at its shortest boom length and smallest working radius. It has a shortest boom length of 22.5 meters and a minimum working radius of two meters,” said Li Changqing, Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group’s Chief Engineer for the XCA4000. More importantly, the XCA4000 is able to operate efficiently at high altitudes, a crucial feature given its primary role in hoisting wind turbines. Capable of lifting 230 tons – equivalent to the combined weight of over 200 cars – to a height of 170 meters, the XCA4000 is able to keep the crane cab stable while at the same time allowing operators to maneuver the crane with precise movements. “The machine was developed to meet demand from the wind power markets to address the need of lifting larger wind blades used for generating power with higher efficiency, which is becoming prevalent in the rapidly evolving wind power market,” Li said. Developing the XCA4000 was a complex undertaking and took a team of about 100 researchers around two years.
For decades, China’s manufacturing dominance was built on scale. Today, fueled by artificial intelligence, 5G networks and an unrelenting policy push, the nation is redefining its role in the global supply chain. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China’s intelligent manufacturing equipment industry reached a scale of over CNY3.2 trillion last year. Thus far, 421 national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories, tens of thousands of provincial-level digital workshops and smart factories have been nurtured. Artificial intelligence, digital twins and other technologies are being applied in over 90% of the demonstration factories. Emerging industries such as AI, biomedicine, high-end equipment, new energy and smart cars, have risen rapidly, becoming important forces driving the upgrading of the industrial structure and enhancing manufacturing competitiveness, said experts. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), cumulative production and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2024 reached 12.888 million and 12.866 million units, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 34.4% and 35.5%. NEVs accounted for 40.9% of total new vehicle sales. In the same year, China exported 1.284 million NEVs, a 6.7% increase compared to the previous year.
Financial media outlet Yicai reported that 2024 the national lithium battery production totaled 1,170 gigawatt-hours, marking a 24% year-on-year growth. The industry’s total output exceeded CNY1.2 trillion. In the list of rankings released by South Korean battery research institution SNE Research, six out of the top 10 global battery manufacturers in terms of output in 2024 were Chinese companies. China’s development of new energy equipment manufacturing has also made huge progress. According to the National Energy Administration (NEA), China’s new energy industry has honed its skills in open competition, establishing an internationally competitive full industry chain system. China now produces over 80% of the world’s photovoltaic modules and 70% of wind power equipment. Over the past decade, China has successfully reduced the average electricity-generation costs of global wind and photovoltaic power projects by more than 60% and 80%, respectively.
Huang Qifan, Academic Consultant of the Finance 40 Forum, said that the foundation of China’s modern industrial system is its manufacturing sector, and the completeness of China’s industrial chain is unparalleled globally. He cited the United Nations, noting there are 41 major categories, 207 subcategories and 666 minor categories in the industrial chain. China is the only country with complete coverage of all industrial chain categories, with 40% of these categories being the world’s top producers. Simultaneously, the advancements in China’s manufacturing industry have brought fundamental, structural and trend-changing effects to its exported products. In 2010, China’s exports exceeded USD1.6 trillion, with 70% being labor-intensive products and 30% being technology-intensive electronics and equipment. By 2024, China’s exports had surged to over USD3.4 trillion, with 90% being technology-intensive products and labor-intensive products dwindling to 10%, the China Daily reports.
