Minister: China wants foreign firms’ help building innovation ecosystem
Miao Wei says six foreign companies are working on projects for a new-generation mobile telecommunication network in China
A senior Chinese industrial official told the South China Morning Post that China welcomes foreign firms’ participation in its effort to develop its hi-tech prowess and said six foreign companies are leading or taking part in 15 projects for a new-generation mobile telecommunication network in the country.
Miao Wei, the minister of information and industrial technology and overseer of Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” plan, said China was cooperating with several countries, including the United States and Germany, on matters such as standard setting for the telecommunication network.
“Policies and measures in Made in China 2025 apply to all companies in China, but also act fairly on Chinese-funded and foreign firms,” Miao said in an email. Details about the firms involved in the telecommunication projects were not disclosed.
Beijing launched its Made in China 2025 initiative two years ago, kicking off a campaign to make China a technology superpower. The plan set out specific market share targets to be achieved by companies in key industries by 2025.
But existing restrictions, combined with China’s top-down method of planning development and administering government subsidies, have added to worries among foreign companies that they will continue to have limited access to China’s markets.
