Over the past two decades, China's pace of development has been remarkable, especially in the field of shipbuilding, and China has become a global leader in shipbuilding with its firm determination and efficient strategy.
According to 2023 statistics, more than half of the world's commercial shipbuilding comes from China, while the United States accounts for less than 1%.
Faced with such a reality, we can't help but ask, how did China achieve this great transformation?
First of all, we need to understand that the rise of China's shipbuilding industry did not happen overnight, but after long-term efforts and accumulation. In this process, government policy support, investment in scientific research, and the hard work of workers have all played a key role.
In addition, China's shipbuilding industry also has significant advantages in terms of quality control, cost control and production efficiency.
Through the introduction of international advanced management concepts and manufacturing technology, as well as the implementation of strict quality control standards, the ships made in China enjoy a good reputation in the international market.
At the same time, China's labor costs are relatively low, which is also one of the important factors for China's competitiveness in the shipbuilding industry.
In contrast, the high labor cost in the United States makes the cost of shipbuilding in the United States relatively high, and on the other hand, the pace of technological innovation and industrial upgrading of American shipyards is relatively slow, and it cannot adapt to the increasingly fierce market competition. Therefore, in the tide of the global shipbuilding industry, American shipyards are gradually losing their competitive advantage.
However, this does not mean that the United States cannot rise again. In fact, the U.S. government and shipyards have begun to take steps to revitalize their country's shipbuilding industry. For example, the U.S. government has increased investment in scientific research in the shipbuilding industry and encouraged enterprises to carry out technological innovation and industrial upgrading.
Netizen rclarke:
To be clear, the U.S. has not always dominated the global commercial shipbuilding market, and it has not shown significant competitiveness in terms of quality and cost.
网友Revealed:
Commercial shipbuilding is an industry, not an empire. I recommend that you read the literature and not rely solely on the Wall Street Journal's one-sided coverage.
When talking about the American shipbuilding industry, one cannot ignore the existence of the Jones Act. Is it now time for the United States to blame China's shipbuilding overcapacity?
Netizen Spazzy:
The Jones Act was actually an indirect subsidy to the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Of course, direct subsidies are more direct and effective, but they can't have it both ways.
The U.S. government must make a choice: whether to end the Jones Act to revive domestic water trade, or to reinstate subsidies for shipbuilding to boost it.
Netizen chillstep:
The real divergence is that China's focus is on business, while the United States is more military-oriented.
Commercial shipbuilding makes practical economic sense, while military shipbuilding consumes more taxpayers' money.
网友:alasts
In the U.S., the industry is highly unionized, with wages above $100,000. In Shanghai, on the other hand, the average salary is only about $10,000.
This wage difference means that CSIC can hire 12 to 20 workers on the same budget than if it were to hire one worker in California.
Such a cost advantage undoubtedly gives them the ability to build more ships.
Why, then, do we barely hear voices about salaries and wages in the discussions?
Netizen: dusty
We won World War II in large part thanks to the strong manufacturing industry at the time. We have provided critical equipment such as tanks, planes and warships to the UK, Russia and our allies.
However, in the 60s, in pursuit of huge profits, we moved manufacturing overseas.
Today, the stickers on car bumpers that once read "Buy American, while it's still too late" seem more like a caricature. Because the reality is that it seems too late now.
Netizen: McGee
Shipbuilding is indeed a special industry, which not only involves a large amount of capital investment, but also requires advanced technology, engineering design, and abundant labor.
Do you know which three industries the U.S. is missing?
Unlike what the Wall Street Journal described, the center of commercial shipbuilding has shifted from Europe to Japan, then to South Korea, and now partly to China.
In the process, the United States has never really dominated the industry.
Netizen: royk
The shipbuilding industry is not limited to shipbuilding itself, it involves the entire value chain from steel production to ship completion, which means that the operation of a shipyard requires the collaborative support of hundreds of suppliers.
Furthermore, a country's ability to build ships or aircraft can often reflect its comprehensive national strength.
At present, the United States has a clear advantage in aircraft manufacturing, but the development of the shipbuilding industry also deserves our attention and investment.
michaele写道：
After more than 200 years of glory, the myth that the sun never sets on the British Empire has come to an end.
The United States, on the other hand, is standing at a tipping point in its 200-year history. China, on the other hand, is only the beginning of a new 200-year cycle.
If the United States had not spent $3 trillion on war in the past 20 years, it would now have a powerful shipbuilding industry.
Netizen nesseiht said:
People often praise the high quality of American warships, but ignore that quantity itself is a quality. The number of Chinese warships is enough to crush American warships.
Netizen Brandonso was even more blunt:
If only the country, known as "the world's greatest democracy," could be less obsessed with waging war and no longer have military bases on every continent.
Then it may have more energy and resources to make microwave ovens or televisions to serve its people.
In general, the rise of China's shipbuilding industry is a phenomenon worthy of our in-depth study and study. Through an in-depth analysis of the reasons and strategies behind it, we can better understand the success path of China's shipbuilding industry, and at the same time provide useful references and inspirations for other countries.
Of course, we also need to recognize that the shipbuilding industry is a highly competitive and complex industry that requires the joint efforts of governments, enterprises and workers to achieve sustainable development and progress.
In this process, only by continuous innovation, quality and efficiency can we remain invincible in the fierce global competition.