In early September, just days after China marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Berlin hosted IFA 2025 — one of the world’s most prominent consumer electronics exhibitions. Walking through the venue, the scale of China’s industrial footprint was unmistakable. Of the roughly 1,900 companies exhibiting, more than 700 were Chinese ranging from major global players such as TCL, Hisense and DJI to a large number of little-known provincial manufacturers. Chinese brands also stood out among the winners of the IFA Awards, including device makers like Anker and Laifen.
This commercial presence reflects the international economic order that took shape after 1945 — one built on free trade and multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization. Goods and capital flowed across borders regardless of political systems, enabling multinational companies to disperse production globally in pursuit of lower costs. China became “the world’s factory,” attracting foreign investment, building industrial clusters, upgrading its technological capabilities and ultimately growing into a manufacturing superpower that now accounts for nearly 30% of global value added.
Against this backdrop, it is unsurprising that Beijing now casts itself as a defender of free trade in response to the second Trump administration’s imposition of “reciprocal tariffs” on U.S. imports and broader efforts to exclude Chinese firms.
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