China’s ICT Industry: Catch-Up Trends, Challenges and Policy Implications

This article provides a review of China’s information and communications industry by studying the following three segments: the integrated circuit and related electronic components, equipment and network systems and devices and applications for end users. A review of successful cases sheds light on the trends, challenges and policy implications. The four policies proposed by the authors are: promote local firms to be global technology leaders by constructing new standards in new paradigms, extend the edge enjoyed by the communications equipment segment to the integrated circuit and related components and devices segment via promoting the Internet of Things based on sensor network, encourage local governments to participate in the commercialisation of emerging technologies by establishing regional industry parks/bases and deregulate end users’ devices and internet applications to encourage various actors to participate in innovation.