On July 17, 2024, a TV program ‘Unpacking the Key Words of Reform and Opening up’ from CCTV invited Yu Miaojie, a deputy to the 14th national people’s congress, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Liaoning University to share his insights on ‘Made in China’. As the topic ‘Why Made in China Can Succeed’ went viral in Weibo, Yu’s insights on ‘Made in China’ drew wide attention on platforms such as Tik Tok and Kwai with more than five million readers in 24 hours. The topic also emerged as the third hottest topic in Weibo.
In the video, Yu interpeted what ‘Made in China’ means in a comprehensive manner as part of reform and ‘opening up’. He noted that ‘Made in China’ had achieved a successful transformation and upgrading from a level of cheapness and low quality to intelligent manufacturing. This is not only attributed to reform and ‘opening up’, but also relies on the development of new quality productive forces. Yet this is not the end about how we understand ‘Made in China’, he continued. By speaking in a humorous way, he made an in-depth analysis of and prospects for ‘Made in China’ on topics such as ‘Why Made in China Can Succeed’ and ‘Will Made in China Be Replaced in the Future’, attracting a slew of positive comments and praise from netizens.
Yu Miaojie’s insights spread rapidly and received positive comments from netizens. For example, they favorably echoed the point that China’s manufacturing prowess had grown stronger as ‘Made in China’ used to correlate with cheapness and low quality ten years ago. Netizens also felt a sense of pride as products made in China represent good quality at favourable prices, which benefits everyone.