MERICS Web Seminar: China’s digital platform economy: Challenges and opportunities for European actors

The Chinese leadership has set an ambitious deadline to become a superpower in science and technology innovation by the 100th birthday of the People’s Republic in 2049. The digitalization of industrial production is central to their ambition. Market observers estimate that China will account for one third – 4.1 billion – of global Industrial IoT connections (IIoT) by 2025. Chinese digital industrial platforms are starting to compete on a global level.

Other countries with a robust industrial base and extensive experience in the realm of “Industrie 4.0” can benefit from this development. China currently still lacks core capabilities for its platform development, and its official rhetoric proposes an open digital platform economy that is cross-border and “win-win” in nature.

However, European actors must brace themselves for challenges. Foreign players have limited ability to influence regulatory developments. The current environment favors and fosters indigenous solutions in the digital platform economy. 

The competition is on: China will be a major contestant in the “battle for industrial data,” as EU Commissioner Thierry Breton recently coined the new phase of digitalization. Europe hopes to gain a stronger foothold after being outperformed by the US and Chinese tech companies in other digitalization areas.

In this web seminar, Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Research Director Politics and Society, and Rebecca Arcesati, Junior Analyst, have presented MERICS research on China’s digital platform economy (supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy).

Markus Heß, Deputy Director General - Industrial Policy and Future Mobility at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy,

Svenja Falk, Managing Director Accenture Research,

Andreas Hube, Vice-President, Head of China Liaison-Office, SAP

have joined to contribute their insights and debate consequences for Europe. Claudia Wessling, Director Publications at MERICS, has moderated the web seminar.