Development Challenges for Chinese Private Manufacturing Firms in Globalisation

Since the late 1970s, China has gradually transformed from a planned system towards a market economy and its private sector has played increasingly important roles in the national development. During the process, Chinese private manufacturing firms made remarkable contribution to advancing reform, driving growth, enhancing export and improving employment. After the early 2000s, China joined in the World Trade Organisation and aimed to further progress its development through globalisation. The deep integration with the global economy has greatly facilitated China’s global competitiveness in manufacturing industries, but it has also brought the country with a series of development challenges. Nowadays, many Chinese private manufacturing firms are encountering various problems and stuck in development predicament. This dissertation tries to explore the question: What are the current development challenges for Chinese private manufacturing firms in globalisation? The research question is relevant to a wide range of theoretical and empirical research in development studies, including firm competition in global value chains, industrial districts in the global economy, large business in global competition and global battles within China. Building on critical reviews on related literature, the dissertation tries to enrich the existing knowledge by investigating the latest development of China’s manufacturing industries, analysing the challenges and responses of Chinese leading private firms of both large and small sizes individually, and discussing how the interaction of foreign and indigenous firms in both domestic and international markets shapes the global competitiveness of Chinese private firms. The dissertation mainly conducts qualitative inquiry and case studies to analyse the research question. Wenzhou is an outstanding pioneer in China to develop private economy and lead economic reform. The dissertation therefore makes in-depth investigation on Wenzhou’s leading firms in the footwear and the electrical equipment industries, to reflect China’s development in globalisation. Based on Wenzhou’s experience, the dissertation summarises the competition situation of Chinese private manufacturing firms in globalisation, concludes their current development challenges and puts forward policy implications for China’s economic reform and industrial upgrade.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Chen, Xiao

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Nolan, Peter

• Development Challenges
• Private Firms
• China
• Manufacturing
• Globalisation

Licence

• https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/65b5761e-8c00-4196-a454-4ef11d937687/download
• https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.13720

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/267790