BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- China's manufacturing success has become the latest target of a familiar Western narrative. Under the guise of a so-called "China Squeeze," some U.S. think tanks and media outlets claim that China's industrial rise is crowding out development opportunities for both the Global South and advanced economies.
In reality, this narrative says less about China than about a growing effort to "squeeze China" -- by portraying its development as a threat rather than an opportunity.
The facts tell a very different story. Far from limiting other countries' industrial prospects, China's manufacturing strength has become an engine for shared development, helping other countries improve infrastructure, enhance productivity and accelerate industrial upgrading.
China's smart manufacturing technologies are helping boost industrial capacity in more than 20 countries, from improving production-line efficiency in Malaysia to optimizing power grid operations in Chile, according to a report released Friday at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.
These are not isolated examples, but part of a broader pattern: China's manufacturing development is creating new opportunities beyond its borders, not shrinking them.
Industrialization hinges on infrastructure, technology, skills and market access. China has been a key partner in building these foundations across the Global South. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, it has delivered railways, highways, ports and power plants across Asia, Africa and Latin America, helping regions where infrastructure gaps have long constrained growth.
The Chinese-built Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, for instance, slashed freight transport time from over three days to under 20 hours and cut costs by at least one third, playing a key role in delivering essential supplies such as edible oil and fertilizers.
China's contribution also extends beyond physical infrastructure. Through technology transfer, it has shared advanced agricultural and manufacturing techniques with developing nations, helping them build the capabilities essential for long-term growth.
Such technology transfers do not replace local industries. They help strengthen them.
The accusation that China shuts out developing-country exports also clashes with its commitment to high-level opening-up. On May 1, China rolled out a zero-tariff policy on products from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.
The move broadens export opportunities for African businesses and grants more developing economies greater access to one of the world's biggest consumer markets. This is part of a broader commitment to opening-up, one that seeks to create larger markets rather than narrower ones.
Turning to advanced economies, China's manufacturing growth has never come at the West's expense.
China has delivered high-quality, cost-effective goods that have lowered living costs and curbed inflation across Western economies. Its expansion of cutting-edge sectors -- from new-energy vehicles and intelligent equipment to green technologies -- has grown the global high-end manufacturing pie, opening new avenues for cooperation and investment that benefit firms and consumers worldwide, rather than engaging in zero-sum competition.
By framing Western industrial woes -- from deindustrialization and shrinking R&D spending to high labor costs -- as a "China Squeeze," the U.S. media have found a convenient scapegoat to deflect from their own policy failures.
The so-called "China Squeeze" is, in reality, another attempt to squeeze China. Instead of an impartial assessment of China's economy, the convenient "China Squeeze" is in fact the latest variant of the long-running "China threat" narrative.
As China's technological and manufacturing capabilities continue to grow, some Western politicians, think tanks and media outlets have become increasingly uneasy about its development. Instead of acknowledging the opportunities created by China's development, they have sought to manufacture new narratives that portray China as a threat, launch sustained public opinion campaigns against it, and drive a wedge between China and other developing countries.
Their ultimate objective is not to protect the interests of the Global South, but to constrain China's development and preserve the dominance of a handful of advanced economies.
This zero-sum mentality runs counter to the trend of globalization, a long-term contributor to growth, and ultimately sacrifices the genuine interests of developing countries.
For Global South countries, tangible results matter more than divisive narratives. China's commitment to openness, cooperation and shared development offers a different vision -- one in which industrial progress is not a race where one side's gain must come at another's expense. ■
