Trump found Xi's 'Made in China' plan 'insulting' but it worked anyway

In 2018, Made in China caught the attention of US President Donald Trump during his first stint in the White House.

Some of the first tariffs the Trump administration imposed on China then specifically referenced Made in China, Harvard Business School analysis provided to the ABC showed.

"The United States will impose a 25 per cent tariff on $50 billion of goods imported from China containing industrially significant technology, including those related to the 'Made in China 2025' program," said a memorandum signed by Trump in March 2018.

In May that same year, Mr Trump's trade delegation to Beijing explicitly demanded that China stop subsidising high-tech sectors related to Made in China such as robotics and clean energy vehicles, US media reported.

Following the US backlash, references to Made in China in Chinese state media and official documents "dropped precipitously" from June 2018, but China's industrial ambitions continued, the Harvard analysis said.

Mr Trump later told US media that "China got rid of their China '25 because I found it very insulting".

Recently in China, state media have been lauding the success of programs linked to Made in China without directly referencing the plan.

Articles and social media posts have highlighted numerous high-tech advancements including in artificial intelligence and sixth-generation fighter jets.

Dr He-Ling Shi, from Monash University, said state media was "obligated to sing praises" because 2025 marked the final year of the plan.

He said it was hard to know from state media whether the technological advancements detailed in the stories were real or a "roadshow".

The ABC reached out to multiple analysts in China for this story, but none responded to interview requests.

Dr Shi also said the Biden administration had been effective at preventing China from advanced manufacturing of computer chips.

He said Huawei was a prime example.

"From a technological point of view, Huawei's mobile phone technology is still two to three generations behind [Apple]."

Original Story : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-22/made-in-china-2025-a-success-despite-us-tariffs/104816206