Mutually Beneficial Upgrading? China's Changing Relationship With Developed Country Manufacturing Multinationals

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Abstract:

China’s position within the global manufacturing division of labor is changing rapidly. These changes have little directly to do with the current global financial crisis—the roots are much deeper—though the uncertainties in the global economy brought on by the crisis can affect the trajectory of these manufacturing trends in crucial ways. This paper will outline one potential direction developments could take—that is, toward mutually beneficial upgrading between China and the developed country powers (North American, European and Asian) whose Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are currently investing there. My claim is that mutual benefit is imminently possible, though by no means inevitable. After the emergent possibilities are outlined, I will spend some time noting some of the potential obstacles to the realization of these possibilities.