China's rapid industrial expansion is reshaping the global economic order. According to the Economic Survey 2025, UNIDO projects that China will account for 45% of all global manufacturing by 2030, surpassing the United States and its allies combined.
"Just thirty years later, UNIDO projects that China will account for 45 per cent of all global manufacturing, singlehandedly matching or outmatching the US and its allies. This is a level of manufacturing dominance by a single country seen only twice before in world history—by the UK at the start of the Industrial Revolution and by the US just after World War 2. It means that in an extended war of production, there is no guarantee that the entire world united could defeat China alone."
China's rise is not just about production volume—it is about strategic control. The Economic Survey highlights how China has leveraged competitiveness, economic policy, and resource access to dominate key industries, including:
With this dominance, China has gained a level of strategic leverage that no single country has held in modern history.
Between 2020 and 2024, more than 24,000 new trade and investment restrictions were imposed worldwide, reflecting increasing geopolitical tensions. The Economic Survey notes that this geoeconomic fragmentation has contributed to slower global trade growth and stagnation risks.
China, however, remains resilient, with its manufacturing expansion continuing despite external restrictions. The survey suggests that trade barriers alone may not be enough to counterbalance China’s industrial strength.
As nations rethink their industrial policies, the Economic Survey 2025 makes one thing clear: China’s manufacturing supremacy is now a defining force in global economics, and countering it will be more complex than ever before.