Localization and China’s Tech Success on Two Continents

project

China Local/Global

A dominant narrative, especially in Washington, is that China extends its global influence by exporting its developmental model and imposing it on other countries. But China also extends its influence by working through local actors and institutions while adapting and assimilating local and traditional forms, norms, and practices. With the generous support of the Ford Foundation, Carnegie has launched an innovative body of research on Chinese engagement in seven regions of the world—Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, the Pacific, South Asia, and Southeast Asia—exploring these adaptive Chinese strategies that work within local realities and are mostly ignored by Western policymakers. We also publish in local languages, from Arabic to Burmese to Urdu, to better reach local audiences.

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Many in the West, especially Washington, argue that China extends its global influence by exporting and imposing its developmental model on other countries. Yet many in the Global South have successfully pushed Chinese firms to provide more of the technology goods and services they crave for their own development. But despite skills-transfer programs and, in some cases, value-added manufacturing, these Chinese localization strategies have actually delivered mixed returns to local economies without any meaningful capacity building or technology transfer.

Join Carnegie for a conversation about how local players have fared in three Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries—Algeria, Egypt, and Indonesia—in pushing Chinese technology firms to meet their developmental needs.

The panelists’ publications are part of a multiyear China Local/Global project at Carnegie that explores Chinese adaptation strategies in seven regions of the world, from Latin America to North Africa and Southeast Asia.

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

project

China Local/Global

A dominant narrative, especially in Washington, is that China extends its global influence by exporting its developmental model and imposing it on other countries. But China also extends its influence by working through local actors and institutions while adapting and assimilating local and traditional forms, norms, and practices. With the generous support of the Ford Foundation, Carnegie has launched an innovative body of research on Chinese engagement in seven regions of the world—Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, the Pacific, South Asia, and Southeast Asia—exploring these adaptive Chinese strategies that work within local realities and are mostly ignored by Western policymakers. We also publish in local languages, from Arabic to Burmese to Urdu, to better reach local audiences.

Learn More

Localization and China’s Tech Success on Two Continents

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