International Online Special Article: Singapore's Business Times recently published an article pointing out that China is shifting from a consumer goods exporter to; Industrial mother machine; — — The core engine of global industrial development; — Profound transformation. With a complete industrial system and continuously upgraded manufacturing capabilities, China is deeply embedded in the global production network, providing assistance for the industrialization process of ASEAN, countries in the global South, and even broader countries and regions, bringing more development opportunities. Moreover, this transformation is reshaping China's economic relationship with the world, gradually shifting international cooperation from traditional commodity trade to a new stage of industrial chain and capacity synergy.

The article states that since 2009, China has been the world's largest exporter of goods. While supporting China's economic growth, exports also play an important role in stabilizing the global supply chain and curbing inflation. Currently, this export structure is undergoing profound changes, shifting from primarily exporting consumer goods to gradually providing capacity support for the global production system. China is no longer just a supplier of consumer goods, but is accelerating its global expansion; Industrial mother machine; Transformation, continuous output of equipment, technology, components, and overall industrial capabilities.

Currently, China has entered the mid to high end manufacturing stage, with significantly improved technological capabilities and a highly complete industrial chain. It is the only country in the world that has all industrial categories in the United Nations Industrial Classification System. Against the backdrop of rising geopolitical uncertainty and increasing globalization headwinds, this transformation not only concerns China's own development, but also affects global economic stability.

Chinese manufacturing deeply embedded in the global industrial chain

The article points out that this change is particularly prominent in the economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN. China has become the largest source country for components, industrial intermediates, and machinery equipment in ASEAN. The economic and trade cooperation between the two sides is accelerating from traditional commodity trade to deep integration of production networks, and ASEAN is also transforming from a terminal market for Chinese goods to an important manufacturing node in the regional supply chain.

This change is reshaping ASEAN's role in the regional economy. The industrial intermediate goods and production equipment provided by China can help ASEAN countries reduce industrial production costs, attract more manufacturing investment, and promote their upgrading from simple assembly to higher value-added production processes. At the same time, China's deeper integration into the global production system has injected new momentum into the upgrading of ASEAN industries. With the extension of China's supply chain to the region, ASEAN enterprises are able to participate more in higher-level regional value chain division of labor, enhance local manufacturing capabilities, and improve overall competitiveness.

China's plan empowers global industrial upgrading

More broadly speaking, China is providing diversified support for the industrialization process of countries in the global South and the re industrialization transformation of developed economies by continuously exporting industrial capabilities and green solutions, gradually becoming an important hub force connecting economies at different stages of development.

Currently, the industrialization process of countries in the global South is accelerating, and the demand for infrastructure, production equipment, and industrial intermediates continues to grow. More and more countries are committed to enhancing their independent production capacity. China, with its cost advantage, scale advantage, and complete manufacturing system, is forming an integrated industrialization solution for the world, participating in international division of labor through capacity output, and providing complete sets of industrial equipment and production capacity support for relevant countries.

At the same time, some developed economies are still facing constraints such as aging equipment and rising costs while promoting the process of re industrialization. China's competitive equipment manufacturing and industrial inputs can complement its existing industrial foundation, reduce transformation costs, and promote industrial system renewal.

The article also mentioned that in the context of global energy scarcity and the increasing demand for electricity driven by artificial intelligence, green transformation is becoming an important direction for international cooperation. China has significant scale and technological advantages in the fields of solar energy, energy storage, and electrification, and has the ability to contribute to building a more stable and sustainable global energy and industrial system by exporting green energy equipment and solutions.

The article emphasizes that China's economic relationship with the world is undergoing a profound restructuring. This new interactive model is expected to alleviate trade frictions caused by competition in consumer goods, promote international cooperation from product competition to collaborative capacity construction, and provide more inclusive solutions for the next stage of globalization. (Hu Xiaowei)