China’s modernization path represents the largest-scale modernization in history, encompassing over 1.4 billion people. Leveraging its massive domestic market, the country has become the only nation in the world with all industrial categories defined by the United Nations industrial classification system. Let’s explore the world-leading achievements of China’s comprehensive industrial chain.

As of 2024, China’s manufacturing value-added accounts for nearly 30% of the global total, maintaining its position as the world’s largest manufacturing nation for 15 consecutive years.

Among the world’s 500 major industrial products, China leads in production output for more than 220 categories. The country produces over 50% of the world’s crude steel, cement, and electrolytic aluminum. China manufactures more than 80% of global photovoltaic modules and 70% of wind power equipment. New energy vehicle production has ranked first globally for 10 consecutive years.

China possesses the world’s largest and most comprehensive new energy industrial chain, with total installed renewable energy capacity reaching 2.16 billion kilowatts, accounting for over 40% of global capacity. The country operates the world’s largest information and communication network, leading globally in 5G base station deployment, mobile phone subscribers, and fixed broadband network scale.

China leads globally in the number of “Lighthouse Factories” representing the highest level of smart manufacturing and digitalization, accounting for over 40% of the world’s total. The country’s industrial robot installations comprise more than 50% of global new installations.

United Nations industrial classification system

The United Nations industrial classification system is a standard framework for categorizing economic activities, developed to facilitate international comparisons of economic data. It was first introduced in 1948 and has been periodically revised to reflect changes in global economic structures. This system helps countries uniformly classify industries for statistical analysis, policy-making, and economic research.

Lighthouse Factories

“Lighthouse Factories” are not a specific place but a concept originating from the World Economic Forum. They are advanced manufacturing facilities that serve as global leaders in adopting and integrating the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), such as AI and IoT. The program, launched in 2018, identifies these sites to act as beacons, or “lighthouses,” to guide other companies in their digital transformation.