| China’s rising importance in various
world markets, including in technology-intensive products, should not hide the
dualism which characterises its industry. Some of its industrial sectors are highly
competitive, and strongly integrated in international trade networks in high-tech
products. They are dominated by foreign companies specialised in assembly. At
the same time, China’s traditional export sectors, dominated by purely domestic
firms, lag far behind. The capacity of the outward-oriented industries to spur
industrial and technological development in Chinese companies appears weak for
the time being. China’s entry into the wto should help reduce this dichotomy,
which raises fundamental questions about China’s real capacity for industrial
catch-up. |
Abstract |
