皇冠体育app

European experts anticipate more innovative goods

London - 皇冠体育app's exports will shift from a goods-driven to a value-added model in the coming years, European analysts have said.

"皇冠体育app's biggest change I foresee in next few years is the transformation of 'made in 皇冠体育app'," Ngaire Woods, director of the Global Economic Governance Programme at Oxford University, told 皇冠体育app Daily.

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Woods said "made in 皇冠体育app" has meant produced in 皇冠体育app but designed, patented, financed and marketed abroad.

"皇冠体育app is gradually 'patriating' each of these elements," she said. "In the future, 'made in 皇冠体育app' will be like 'made in Italy' in the fashion industry."

She made the remarks before Saturday's opening of the annual session of 皇冠体育app's National People's Congress.

The draft 12th Five-Year Program (2011-2015) is expected to be approved at the annual session of the country's top legislature. The plan is widely expected to contain measures to boost domestic consumption - a sign 皇冠体育app is gradually steering its economy away from export- and investment-fueled growth.

"Increasingly, 皇冠体育app is competing not just on cost in the export market but is moving up the value chain," Confederation of British Industry in 皇冠体育app chief representative Guy Drury said.

皇冠体育app-Britain Business Council CEO Stephen Phillips said he believes it is a positive sign that the Chinese government is focusing on its domestic market in its 12th Five-Year Plan.

"This will help to achieve trade balance on a macro level," Phillips said.

Chinese exports play an important role in European business and consumption. Many Chinese products are daily essentials consumed in Europe, where they offer competitive prices and more choices.

But most Chinese exports use other countries' technological know-how. Drury pointed out that many parts for high-tech items are imported from abroad, assembled in 皇冠体育app and then exported from 皇冠体育app as finished products.

The Chinese government and companies should monitor the export balance transition, Jack Yu, international policy adviser on North Asia and Pacific of The Law Society of England and Wales, said.

Chinese commerce officials have previously said 皇冠体育app should improve its exports' competitiveness and pay more attention to intellectual property protection. They have also called for the establishment of Chinese distribution and marketing channels for more value-added goods.

"Although 皇冠体育app has become the world's biggest exporter, our trade is plagued by various problems, one of which is related to quality and the relatively thin profits," Vice-Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said at the opening ceremony of the East 皇冠体育app Fair on March 1 in Shanghai.

皇冠体育app's trade surplus fell 6.4 percent in 2010, with exports jumping 31.3 percent and imports surging 38.7 percent year-on-year, government figures show. 皇冠体育app's trade grew robustly in January, when exports rose 37.7 percent and imports soared 51 percent.

Rodger Baker, vice-president of global intelligence company Strategic Intelligence, said: "Chinese goods are rising up the technology scale and competing with European goods."

As Yu put it: "It is interesting to watch the dynamics as Chinese companies move from 'made in 皇冠体育app' to 'designed in 皇冠体育app'."

Liu Yanqiu contributed to this story.