According to Jing Daily, the Chinese government wants the “Made in China” label to once again be synonymous with high-quality goods – and they’re investing a whole bunch of money into their manufacturing sector to make that happen.
“For centuries, the label ‘Made in China’ meant exceptional craftsmanship and represented a benchmark of quality and beauty,” the story says. But over the last four decades, China has cut “quality to achieve adequate profit margins,” turning the country from a “well-established luxury goods producer into a global manufacturer.” And while that “was a big factor behind the country’s historic economic boom,” it also “changed the perception of Chinese imports into one of low-quality, bargain products.”
But now, in an effort to “rebalance its economy,” China is seeking to “generate a long-term relationship with Chinese consumers and shift their collective focus from Western luxury goods to homegrown Chinese brands,” something that would both monetize the “renaissance of national and cultural pride [that] has blossomed in China” and soften the blow of the “ongoing trade war with the U.S.”
To achieve this, the Chinese government is both publicly promoting brands with a “craftsmanship spirit” and also injecting major capital into those brands’ “custom-tailored production processes.”
As one would imagine, the “state-run advocacy in favor of craftsmanship has created excitement among local artisans, media, influencers, and even the public,” all of whom, according to the story, are “embracing the concept with patriotic vigor.”
But, despite their excitement, the story notes that “Chinese luxury goods makers still face a credibility problem” and, subsequently, it’s going to be “challenging” to convince Chinese consumers to redirect their spending towards domestic labels. But that’s not going to stop the government from trying.
You can read more about it at Jing Daily.
