China and innovation

Abstract

Throughout its history, China was a hub for technology and innovation; however, over the past two centuries the country fell behind. When China opened its economy in the 1980s, it started with a low-margin and low-tech original equipment manufacturing model, and slowly but steadily moved up the value chain, upgrading its business model. Innovation has become extremely important in modern China, becoming a key national strategy for economic growth, and the government has developed intellectual property laws and other strategies to further encourage technological development and successful innovation.