China’s ‘Made in China 2025’ Continues Apace

China’s plan to eliminate its technological competitors is a matter of policy, regardless of public relations efforts by the Chinese leadership to quell Western fears

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), sing the national anthem during the opening session of the NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2019. Jason Lee/Reuters

Despite what Chinese leader Xi Jinping may say publicly to the world about dialing down his aggressive “Made in China 2025” plan, the program continues to go full steam ahead.

The brainchild of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in 2015, the aim of the program is for China to become the dominant manufacturing nation in the world in 10 key high-technology verticals, such as pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence, and robotics, among others.