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The shift from “quantity” to “quality” and from “exporting simple consumption goods” to “exporting production systems” signals that China was successful in re-positioning itself at the high end of global supply chains, according to QNB. Over the coming months, the discussions for a new 5-year plan and industrial policy cycle will gain momentum with a focus on key sectors emphasising AI and semiconductors.As China closes both its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and the decade since the launch of its flagship Made in China 2025 industrial strategy, the moment invites a sober look at what has been achieved, QNB said in an economic commentary.Some 10 years after Beijing first announced its ambition to move from “factory of the world” to “world leader in advanced manufacturing,” both the plan and the strategy are reaching maturity together. The 14th Five-Year Plan and Made in China 2025 were designed to improve the country’s economic KPIs into what policymakers now call “new quality productive forces,” a phrase that emphasises the pivot from quantity to quality, from input-driven expansion to technology-driven efficiency.Such change was focused on ten priority sectors where technological leadership would anchor future competitiveness, including robotics, aerospace, maritime engineering, advanced railway transportation equipment, new-generation IT, electric vehicles (EVs), advanced materials, biomedicine, energy equipment, and agricultural equipment’s.The evidence suggests that the strategy is bearing fruit. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) Critical Technology Tracker, China’s performance in strategic technological fields has shifted dramatically over time, QNB noted.While in 2007 China led in only three out of 64 critical technologies, the figure has jumped to 57 out of 64 in 2023, outpacing other advanced economies in the race to lead the frontier of research and development for strategic application in key fields.Such impressive performance can be clearly observed in key segments, such as robotics, EVs, and green energy, it said. Robotics is perhaps the clearest illustration of Chinese technological leadership. According to the International Federation of Robotics, more than 295,000 industrial robots were installed in 2024, accounting for over half of global deployments.Those are strictly defined robots as “a programmed actuated mechanism with a degree of autonomy to perform locomotion, manipulation or positioning,” i.e., it needs to follow instructions from a control system, have physical hardware to move or apply forces, and perform physical tasks with defined levels of independence from continuous human control.The installed base now exceeds 2mn units, by far the largest worldwide. Even in terms of robot density, China leads with 470 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, having recently surpassed other industrial powerhouses such as Germany, Japan, and the US.This wave of automation marks the transformation of China’s industrial landscape from labour-intensive assembly to smart, data-driven production. This positions China as one of the leading countries in the world for automation after South Korea and Singapore.In solar, China installed more photovoltaic capacity in 2024 than the rest of the world combined, and its wind-power installations are equivalent to the total cumulative capacity of the United States and the European Union.These figures underline that China’s decarbonisation is not a by-product of slower growth but a deliberate industrial project: producing more energy, of cleaner origin, with globally unmatched efficiency and scale. What makes this transformation distinctive is the degree to which manufacturing, energy, and technology are converging. The push for advanced manufacturing feeds into the green transition through new materials, batteries, and grid technology, while the expansion of clean power lowers the cost base for further industrial upgrading.The synergies are now visible in export data, where the “new three” industries (EVs, lithium batteries, and solar modules) have collectively become one of China’s largest export categories, rivalling traditional electronics, QNB said.

Qatar National Bank (QNB) said that rare earths were key to the electronics and digital revolution and are becoming even more important as new industries and technologies emerge. In its weekly economic commentary, the QNB added that AI, semiconductors, defense and aerospace, as well as energy transition are becoming some of the most strategic sectors for the 21st century and should require massive growth in rare earth supply. This further strengthens China's dominant position in these supply chains and creates bottlenecks as well as vulnerabilities to the US and other competitors. US-China strategic competition is set to be one of the major drivers of the global economy in the years to come."In recent weeks, disputes over export controls of rare earth-related supply chains almost led to a major escalation of US-China trade conflicts," it said.Despite their name, rare earth elements are not particularly rare in the Earth's crust. The challenge lies in their extraction and refining, which are technologically complex, environmentally sensitive, and capital intensive.The group includes 17 elements such as neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium, each with unique magnetic, optical, or catalytic properties that make them indispensable for modern industry. In addition, several related critical minerals, including gallium, germanium, indium, cobalt, and lithium, play similar roles across supply chains.Together, the importance of these materials can be seen most clearly in three of the most important, rapidly expanding sectors in the world. In the field of AI and semiconductors, rare earths are integral to the machinery and processes that make advanced chips possible. Cerium oxide is used to polish silicon wafers with nanometric precision, yttrium is a core component of plasma etching systems, and neodymium-based magnets power the high-efficiency cooling and motor systems used in AI data centers. Meanwhile, related elements such as gallium and germanium are used directly in high-performance chips and optical communications.In defense and aerospace, other rare earths are key inputs for jet engines, radar systems, and precision-guided weapons. Finally, in the energy transition, rare earths like neodymium and paraseodyum are essential for the powerful magnets that make EVs and wind turbines operate efficiently, while lanthanum and cerium play crucial roles in catalytic converters and energy storage technologies.The exponential growth in demand has transformed rare earths and critical minerals from industrial commodities into strategic assets. This growing importance has also created new geopolitical frictions, largely because production and processing capacity are highly concentrated in a few countries, particularly China.In a now-famous remark, former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping observed in 1987 that "The Middle East has oil; China has rare earths."China invested heavily in geological surveys, mining, and refining technology. By the early 2000s, China had become the dominant player in nearly every stage of the supply chain. Today, it accounts for around 65 percent of global mining output but over 85 percent of global refining and processing capacity. It also produces the majority of the permanent magnets and other high-value downstream products that depend on these materials. The country has also invested in expanding its footprint across the industry overseas, controlling significant assets, resources and reserves even outside China.In 2021, Beijing consolidated several state-owned companies into the China Rare Earth Group, strengthening its control and coordination over the sector. More recently, China has introduced export controls for national security reasons. Officials have emphasized that these controls are not outright bans but measures to ensure "responsible and secure" trade in dual-use goods. Nonetheless, these steps have reinforced perceptions that China views control over critical minerals as an important element of its broader geopolitical toolkit.In response, other countries have moved to diversify supply chains and reduce strategic dependence. The US has classified rare earths as critical to national security and is investing in domestic mining and processing through the Defense Production Act. However, these efforts will take years to bear fruit.

South Korea's exports rose 12.7% from a year earlier in September on the back of strong demand for semiconductors, logging the largest outbound shipments in three years and six months, government data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments came to $65.95 billion last month, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This marks the largest monthly export volume since March 2022, and the fourth straight month of on-year growth. For the third quarter, exports increased 6.6% on-year to $185.03 billion, surpassing the $180 billion-mark and setting a new quarterly record, the data showed. Imports decreased 8.2% on-year to $56.4 billion in September, resulting in a trade surplus of $5.64 billion. By item, semiconductor exports soared 22% on-year to $16.6 billion to mark an all-time monthly high for the second consecutive month following August. Auto exports increased 16.8% to $6.4 billion, marking the highest figure for any September. Ship exports surged 21.9% on-year to $2.89 billion, marking the seventh consecutive month of increase. Outbound shipments of machinery also expanded 10.3% on-year to $4.2 billion, marking the first on-year increase this year on the back of strong demand from emerging markets such as the Middle East.