Development of China's Industrial Design After China's Accession to the WTO

Chen Wenlong/Wen Long Chen (General Manager, Haohan Product Design Co., Ltd.)

Due to the large population of the Chinese mainland and the large domestic demand market, coupled with the favorable conditions and favourable conditions since the economic reform and opening up, many mainland Chinese consumers have emerged as a long-short and well-known Chinese company. Master Kong instant noodles, Lenovo computers, Konka TVs, Haier refrigerators, Midea, etc.), for these companies, with the conditions and foundations for the successful sales of a certain product of the company in the domestic market (e.g. : Refrigerator "Great Prince" produced by Haier Group sold 1.5 million units. The "Little Prince" sold 1.2 million units) has the opportunity to transform into a large-scale and modernized production marketing constitution, due to competition in price and development speed. Advantages, more gradual access to the international market, and may stand in a pivotal position in the future! (For example: Konka TV won the INNOVATION 2000 at the 2000 International Consumer Electronics Show. Hai Rui Zhang Ruimin, president of Haiyu Group, even set its target to be among the top 500 in the world.)

In the course of development, in the face of the pressure of competition, these enterprises have gradually recognized and reused industrial design in addition to quality enhancement and establishment of a marketing network. For example, in October 1994, Qingdao High-Tech Design and Manufacturing Co., Ltd. QHG. It is a design company jointly established by Tian China Haier Group and Japan GK Design. According to their publication in the 5th Anniversary of the establishment, “the total assets of Hai Gao Company in the five-year period from 1.8 million yuan in 1994 to 99 years 10 million RMB; from the first four designers to more than 60 today and 6 design centers in all parts of the world, 10 information centers” actively cooperate with foreign famous design companies to show their Attempts and progressive strength. Recently, some of the new products introduced by these companies (see Figure 1), from which you can feel the performance of industrial design and the role played in the enterprise. What surprised me even more is that in the latest episode of "NEW WEEKLY NEW WEEKLY MARCH Week 78" in the latest column, I invite industrial design experts to focus on the latest domestic or home appliance designs with distinctive domestic home appliances. Commenting one by one so that the average consumer accepts industrial design from a professional perspective!

In China, although the economic growth rate has been maintained at a relatively high level for the past 20 years since the reform and opening up, there is still a lot of room for development through industrial design to enhance the overall image of products. The development process of Chinese product design may refer to the description of a certain industrial design unit in the mainland: 20 years ago, China did not design domestic goods at all. Fifteen years ago, under the guidance of the “acquisitionism” theory, the copied foreign goods designs were tagged with domestic products; 10 years ago, imitation became almost a common model for the development of new products by most domestic manufacturers; Due to the increased enforcement of intellectual property rights protection, a few Chinese companies began to embark on the road of independent innovation and design.

Why did all the industrialized countries and regions in Asia have experienced vigorous industrial development in the economic take-off stage and they have not been able to arrive in China? In theory, everyone understands that industrial design is very important for promoting Chinese products to enter the international market and improve their competitiveness. However, in most companies, what we see is copying and copying, and not willing to pay more for a piece of creative wisdom. Common phenomenon? Asked a lot of friends and scholars in the design community, and finally attributed the reasons to "tariff protection" - China is a country that emphasizes "collectivism" and "planned economy" and developed a variety of systems under such a system. Economies, such as state-owned enterprises, private companies, township enterprises, state-owned, private-owned and private companies. There are differences in the treatment of these economic components at home, and there are many privileges and monopolies. In addition, due to the high tariffs, the prices of many well-designed imported products in the mainland market are still much higher than those with low design standards. Although consumers will pay attention to these fashionable and technologically advanced foreign products with an enviable eye, due to the limited economic income, they have no choice but to choose domestic goods (in the case of Motohua: a completely counterfeit 125cc locomotive, with matching pieces of The way of assembly, together with the list of township enterprises, is 1/3 of the market price of the original locomotive. On the one hand, product tariffs protect the emerging and weak industries in the country. On the other hand, they also protect those industries that have large production capacity but do not think of innovation. They can safely ignore the threat of design innovation and the threat of design competition. Under the umbrella!

After 13 years of negotiations, China and the United States finally reached a bilateral agreement on China’s accession to the WTO, and China’s market will have a greater impact. However, after joining the WTO, regardless of the state-owned enterprises or private enterprises, their treatment will be treated equally; the economic changes, in addition to the impact of tariffs, will also affect the overall concept, philosophy, rules, treatment, status and status. Of course, the respect and protection of intellectual property rights, but also have a deterrent effect on counterfeit products!

Therefore, when China entered the WTO, it was considered by China's domestic industrial design community as a historic turning point in China's industrial design development. For most Chinese enterprises, “WTO accession”, despite being a pressure to survive and passively welcoming foreign products that are known for their innovation and entering the Chinese market, has to face the “price” as a weapon that will no longer be a competitive market. What it brings will ultimately be a complete abandonment of the concept of backward business over the years and a new era in which survival depends on innovation and growth depends on development! After China's accession to the WTO, there will certainly be a large number of mainland companies that have failed to adapt to the competitive environment in the international market. However, this is the inevitable result of defeat. It is believed that after ten years, Chinese companies that can survive and be a global player in the international market will inevitably be powerful companies in design and innovation.