Let the Games Begin! Xi Throws Down the Advanced Manufacturing Gauntlet

Sangmin Lee went to TCT Asia back in March and reported on the event for 3DPrint.com. He wrote two articles arguing that China’s AM industry looks “ready to scale.” This observation seems both very astute and, if anything, an understatement.

Last week, for the first time, the Chinese government held a National Advanced Manufacturing Conference, at which President Xi Jinping stated that China’s plans are to “continue making advanced manufacturing bigger and stronger, [and] enhance the autonomy and controllability ⁠of industrial chains.” This in itself isn’t so remarkable, as Chinese higher-ups say this sort of thing quite often.

But the combination of Xi himself making the statement, in that particular setting, and against the backdrop of the 15th Five-Year Plan that was approved earlier