Li Dongsheng: Chinese enterprises' globalization must shift from "product output" to "co-building industrial capabilities"

Question AI · How can Chinese companies’ globalization and transformation promote win-win outcomes in the global industry?

On March 22, at the China Development High-Level Forum 2026 Annual Meeting, TCL Founder and Chairman Li Dongsheng delivered a speech. The forum organizers provided the photo.

On March 22, the China Development High-Level Forum 2026 Annual Meeting was held in Beijing. Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of TCL, spoke at the “Technological Innovation and Future Industry Development” seminar.

Li Dongsheng believes that emerging pillar industries such as integrated circuits, new display technologies, new energy, and new materials generally exhibit characteristics of high technology, heavy assets, and long cycles. To develop these industries well, on one hand, companies need to increase investment in basic research; on the other hand, the government should encourage capital markets to cultivate long-term capital.

He thinks that China’s advanced manufacturing industry is currently in a stage of capital accumulation, and direct financing, especially equity financing, is the main channel for forming long-term capital. Therefore, he suggests that regulatory authorities should relax restrictions on financing approval for advanced manufacturing, making it easier for leading companies to raise funds through capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring, creating a virtuous cycle where technological breakthroughs and capital returns promote each other.

Li Dongsheng stated, “The 14th Five-Year Plan” divides manufacturing into three categories: traditional, emerging, and future industries. These are not simply sequential or substitutive but are mutually empowering and coexisting in prosperity. For example, in consumer electronics, the deep integration of home appliances, mobile devices, and AI will generate entirely new consumer experiences.

It is predicted that by 2030, China’s AI-related market size will reach 10 trillion yuan. The deep integration of AI and consumer electronics will reshape future lifestyles and industrial patterns, becoming a key engine for economic growth. More importantly, this progress will create a two-way driving effect: broad application scenarios will provide fertile ground for AI technology to be tested and implemented, while new technological applications will push hardware manufacturers to improve R&D and manufacturing capabilities. Through mutual empowerment, this will promote the overall leap of China’s manufacturing industry, cultivating a batch of world-class tech brands with global competitiveness.

He believes that global technological competition and cooperation are intertwined. Although the geopolitical environment is complex, business remains the common language among nations. As economic entities, companies should actively expand foreign investment and international cooperation. Chinese companies’ globalization should move toward phase 3.0, transitioning from “product export” to “co-building industrial capabilities”; they should root themselves overseas, integrate into local markets, and enhance global resource allocation; shifting focus from GDP growth to GNP growth.