'Made in China' on cusp of high-tech makeover

BEIJING — As innovation and design emerge as new engines of growth, China's manufacturing sector is undergoing a shift from scale-driven expansion to value-oriented transformation.

In the first half, robust output in high-tech sectors, ranging from 3D printing and smart home appliances to personalized electric vehicles, highlighted the rise of smart manufacturing, where aesthetic design, intelligent production and cultural branding are reshaping global perceptions of "Made in China".

Chinese manufacturers, notably, are no longer just producers — they are becoming trendsetters amid growing global demand for design-led products.

At the forefront are brands such as Laopu Gold, which fuses traditional Chinese craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. Its first overseas store in Singapore, inaugurated in June, drew hourslong lines with over 90 percent of visitors being first-time customers, who were drawn by the brand's design, craftsmanship and the symbolic meaning behind its products, according to a JP Morgan report.

Founded 16 years ago, the brand has carved out a new niche in the traditional jewelry market via innovative design and business models. In 2024, the brand's revenue and profit surged by 166 percent and 254 percent year-on-year, respectively, a growth trajectory that has continued in 2025.

In the realm of pop culture, Chinese brand Pop Mart has become a global sensation, with fans lining up outside stores eager to get their hands on the latest trendy Labubu figurine. "Design is our core competitiveness," said a company representative, citing the firm's 2,000-person design team that crafts everything from sketches to material texture.

More design-powered consumer goods are gaining strong footholds in international markets.

A ceramic company from Fujian province in East China, for example, secured orders worth 2 million yuan ($278,640) in overseas markets for its fruit-themed tableware, while on cross-border e-commerce platforms, sales of solar-powered fan hats from Zhejiang's Yiwu, also located in East China, topped half a million units.

"The popularity of traditional gold craftsmanship and domestic brands like Labubu and Laopu Gold exemplifies how cultural and design premiums are reshaping the value structure of China's manufacturing," said Wu Yin, a professor at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.

Rapid advances in digital technology are enabling culturally rich Chinese design elements to better integrate with industrial production, continuously enhancing the brand value of "Made in China", Wu said.

This growing emphasis on design and innovation is supported by stronger intellectual property protection efforts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which are helping drive China toward global innovation leadership. Between 2020 and 2024, China's total imports and exports of IP royalties grew at an average annual rate of 5.7 percent.