He Lifeng on China Manufacturing
TL;DR
He Lifeng champions upgrading China's manufacturing from scale-focused to value-driven while expanding global market presence.
Key Points
He Lifeng called for efforts to promote the high-quality development of foreign trade during an inspection in Shandong Province in June 2025.
He declared that China aims to become the “world's market,” not only the “world's factory,” reflecting a strategic shift in focus.
He has urged manufacturing exporters to coordinate their export expansions with meeting domestic demand.
Summary
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng has strongly advocated for a strategic pivot within China's massive manufacturing sector, emphasizing a transition from simply achieving scale to focusing on value creation. He has urged manufacturing exporters to deepen their international market penetration by leveraging competitive advantages, such as offering high-quality products at competitive prices, which have proven resilient amid a complex international environment. This stance was articulated during an inspection tour in Shandong Province, where he stressed the need for exporters to continuously innovate their products, technologies, and business models.
This position implies a move toward high-tech, intelligent, and green production methods, aligning with broader national strategies that frame technological self-reliance as central to economic security. The promotion of high-quality development in foreign trade and coordination between export expansion and domestic demand reflect an effort to manage the inherent tension between robust productive capacity and sometimes hesitant domestic consumption. By positioning China as "economic ballast" internationally, He Lifeng’s messaging seeks to reassure global partners of continuity while pushing domestic industries toward necessary structural upgrading.
Key Quotes
China's manufacturing remains world's largest with steady growth in 2025
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng urged other leaders to view China as “economic ballast” in a world of uncertainty
Frequently Asked Questions
He Lifeng's position is to strongly advocate for the upgrade of China's manufacturing sector towards high-quality development. He emphasizes shifting the focus from pure scale to creating greater value through technological and product innovation.
He wants Chinese manufacturing exporters to leverage their competitive strengths by continuously innovating products and business models. He also encouraged them to ensure that their export expansions are coordinated effectively with meeting internal domestic demand.
Yes, He Lifeng addressed international leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2026, framing China as a provider of economic stability anchored by its industrial strength. He stressed the importance of maintaining global supply chains.
Sources6
China's vice premier urges efforts to promote high-quality development of foreign trade
China at Davos 2026: Scale, stability, and structural questions
China's manufacturing isn't declining, it is moving from scale to value creation
Manufacturing Is Moving: Should I Consider Diversifying My Manufacturing Away from Just China?
Changing Course in a Storm: China's Economy in the Trade War
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng calls for upholding multilateral trading system at Davos Forum
* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.