Is Chinese Manufacturing Really That Bad? A Deep Dive into Quality, Innovation, and Global Competition

I was bored the other day and decided to watch No Time to Die, you know, the latest James Bond movie. As a long-time 007 fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the cool gadgets in the films. This time, my attention was drawn to Bond’s phone. I thought, “Hmm, what brand and model is he using this time? Apple? Samsung? Probably not Huawei, right?”

But when I took a closer look, the design didn’t seem familiar. So, I searched online and found out—it was a Nokia! Alright, I have no prejudice against Nokia; in fact, I used to be a fan back in the day. But judging by its specs, it wouldn’t even qualify as a flagship phone in China. To put it bluntly, most Chinese users wouldn’t care about it. A couple of years ago, there was still some nostalgia-driven excitement about Nokia’s comeback, but now? Well, I can understand that they haven’t scaled up enough to open nationwide stores or build a strong after-sales network. But if they don’t step up their game with better hardware and overall improvements, it’s going to be tough for them to gain traction in the Chinese market.

I always thought Bond would use the coolest and most high-tech gear. But this? A bit disappointing. And to make matters worse—007 actually dies in this movie! After dozens of films, he never died, and on the very day I was already feeling down and decided to watch a movie—Bond dies. Talk about bad luck!

So, you’re asking if Chinese-made products really have such a bad reputation for quality?
Well, if you don’t blindly worship foreign brands, you’ll realize that many Chinese products are actually top-tier in quality. Of course, you can’t judge “Made in China” based on small, low-end workshops. Manufacturing upgrades take time—it’s a process. Large corporations drive the progress of mid-sized and smaller companies, while these smaller suppliers, in turn, provide the necessary ecosystem and services to support the big players. It’s a mutually beneficial system.

For example, if you run a component manufacturing business and receive an order from a major Chinese smartphone brand, they will impose strict quality standards on you. They might even assist you in upgrading your production processes. If you fail to meet their standards, they won’t source from you. However, to maintain a stable supply chain, they also invest in supplier development, helping manufacturers improve. In return, thousands of these suppliers provide world-class components and services to the industry giants.

And it doesn’t stop there—these suppliers, to ensure their own product quality and competitiveness, will in turn drive improvements among their own subcontractors. I’m just using the smartphone industry as an example, but China has made significant progress in many sectors. There’s no need to list them all.

That being said, EVs (electric vehicles) might just be the next game-changer, not only for China but for the entire world. The market is massive, unit prices are high, and EVs are becoming a household necessity.

So now, in 2025, the quality of most Chinese-made products is really solid. As for the legendary reputation of Japanese manufacturing? Well, it’s not what it used to be. Just look at the number of scandals involving data fabrication! That so-called “craftsman spirit” has turned into more of a “scam-man spirit.” They even repackage seafood imported from China and sell it as “Made in Japan” because no one can tell the difference. That’s just blind faith in their own brand.

And the U.S.? It struggles even to build a high-speed rail system—it’s ridiculously slow. How much money did they waste on that border wall? Let’s not even go there. As for “Made in Vietnam” or “Made in India”—well, they still have a long way to go.