Commentary: Made-in-China now offers global consumers higher quality choice

As Chinese industries strive to move up the global value chain, Chinese-made products are now able to offer worldwide consumers higher-quality choices.

Overseas consumers, especially in the developing world, have begun to choose high-tech products that are not only made in China but also indigenous Chinese brands. In the past, the best-selling Chinese products in world markets were just shirts and socks.

Thanks to Beijing's efforts in recent years to encourage Chinese companies to invest and do business abroad, Chinese manufacturers have obtained an increasingly large presence and influence in overseas markets. < According to the International Data Corporation, Chinese cellphone makers have gained over 30 percent of the market share in Africa even though their selling prices, notably for smart phones, are not necessarily low.

Nevertheless, it is too early to celebrate Made-in-China's success: Chinese mobile phonemakers still need to pay large sums of money to those who own the core patents.

To change that, Chinese entrepreneurs need to find their own answers in the spirit of professionalism and craftsmanship, as well as in the treasures of technological innovation.

Feeling the pressure, some Chinese firms are kicking into high gear. Huawei recently announced that it invested some 60 billion yuan (roughly 9 billion U.S. dollars) in technological research and development last year alone.

In its momentous push to restructure its economy, China has focused on promoting supply-side reforms and forging an innovation-driven development model.

Through top-level design and an ever rising level of entrepreneurship, Chinese manufacturers will become more and more innovative and competitive in the future.

That is a blessing to consumers across the world; they can soon expect more high quality goods to satisfy their shopping needs. Endi