Big and Weak: The Chinese Automobile Industry in the Joint Venture Era
The unprecedented growth of the Chinese automobile industry has led to extensive discussions regarding China’s industrial policy, labor relations, society, gender, and class. However, researchers have overlooked the ever-changing meaning of automobiles to the people, the industry, and the nation. With the interpretation of the changing meanings of automobiles in post-Mao China, this paper attempts to examine the state’s role in economic development by focusing on Chinese-foreign collaboration through JVs in the Chinese automobile industry. When examining the rise of China’s auto manufacturing market over the past three decades, it is clear the gains and losses from the JVs are the results of the relationship between the central and local governments. Although the central government’s ambition and top priority is still to build a modern Chinese auto industry, local officials are also eager to fulfill their own interests. Not surprisingly, the tensions, conflicts, and compromises between the central and local governments shaped the implementation of the state’s industrial policy on the ground. Although the rapid growth of the Chinese automobile industry was positive, complicated central–local relations led to a murky effect on the national ambition for technological development.
“I Know It’s Time to Leave”—Professional Mobility and The Rising Electric Vehicle Industry in China
Chinese-foreign joint ventures (JVs) are the major driving force for the rapid growth of Chinese automobile industry. However, I contend that the murky, competing, symbolic meanings of foreign and Chinese cars evolved through JV partnerships. For the Chinese automakers, their reliance on foreign car brands and models continuously reminded people of their backwardness—their JV products were representative of the advancement of foreign carmakers. Meanwhile, the ebb and flow of JV partnerships has become a driver of individual mobility. In this paper, I investigate individual reactions to the national ambition, primarily based on my interviews. Referring to the global value chain governance, which stresses the “spillover” of knowledge and networks to the host countries through global integration, I contend that the limitations and negative effects of the foreign direct investments on the development of a strong Chinese auto industry have led to various impacts on individual auto professionals. Interestingly, the negative direct effects of the JVs on the national goal of a strong Chinese auto industry created an opportunity for local brands in developing electric vehicles. In short, personal mobility reflects regional economic development competitions and the limitation of the central government’s expectations for JV partnerships.
The Curse of a (Promising) Future of Electrified Mobility
In recent years, the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) has made people consider whether their next car will be electrified. At the same time, automakers and governments have been actively promoting the concepts of EVs, clean energy, and green mobility to deal with the increasingly severe environmental degradation and national energy security strategy. However, battery manufacturing has long been waiting for the moment of technological breakthroughs. The critical battery raw materials, such as cobalt, cast for the most dubious nature of an EV. This paper analyzes EVs and the future of sustainable mobility through the conception of mobility, indicating both a sense of freedom and coercion. We argue that while EVs are the growing trend that to define our driving habits in the near future, which would bring various benefits to the current car society, the promise of sustainability and a sense of freedom may trigger consumer and sociopolitical backlashes as it relies upon forced mobility of materials and human beings in poor regions.