Rust Belt Revitalization Faces Bumpy Road

    The revival of the rust belt of northeastern China, spanning Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, faces formidable obstacles. Changchun, Jilin’s capital, aims to establish a comprehensive automotive manufacturing ecosystem, with a focus on electric vehicles (EVs), but hurdles abound. While adopting Audi and Porsche’s Premium Platform Electric, it struggles to meet the requirement of sourcing 85 percent of auto parts locally due to sluggish EV sales and limited market opportunities, discouraging supplier investment. Similarly, Shenyang, Liaoning’s hub for manufacturing of robots, contends with lower competitiveness compared to its southern counterparts. Despite increased production, experts caution against uncontrolled expansion in agriculture to avoid efficiency pitfalls. Proposals for maritime and continental corridors to bolster national and international connectivity are on the table, though their implementation is anticipated to be protracted.