A decade ago, China’s political leaders laid out an ambitious industrial plan: By 2025, they pledged, their country would be a world capital, with the goal of moving from “Chinese speed to Chinese quality, the transformation of Chinese products to Chinese brands.” This is the difference, they wrote, between “Made in China” and “Created in China.”
At WIRED, we never take what the government (ours or anybody else’s) says at face value. Still, as journalists, we respect the ability to hit a deadline. While the president of this country is promising to make America great again as he strips it for parts, Chinese business and political leaders have quietly seized the moment. This is not to say that China’s economy, let alone its repressive totalitarian government, runs perfectly. But today there’s almost no limit to what is created in China, then eagerly consumed by the rest of the world.
WIRED’s reporters have chronicled the transformation in the Made in China newsletter—and now we’re bringing you this special issue. Here are 23 ways China is rewiring the future.