China's export shift fuels global supply chains as Western alarm grows

China’s export profile has moved from low‑cost consumer goods toward higher‑value intermediate and capital goods. Between 2017 and 2023 the share of intermediate products in its export basket rose from about 42 % to 46 %, while consumer‑goods share fell to roughly 33 %. The country's share of global garment exports slipped below 30 % in 2024, and similar declines are seen in footwear, indicating a transition up the value chain.

Western observers in Europe and the United States increasingly view this shift as a strategic challenge, pointing to Chinese involvement in sectors such as solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, high‑speed rail, robotics, and artificial‑intelligence firms. Critics argue that the growing presence of Chinese components in sophisticated Western products threatens jobs, national pride and security, while analysts note that the exports are largely the building blocks that enable industrial development in the Global South.