At a time when the restructuring of the international industrial chain is accelerating, Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently stressed that China must not abandon manufacturing, and must vigorously develop to the high end of the industrial chain.

President Xi's statement comes as the U.S. and its allies tighten technological restrictions on China and multinational companies increasingly move industrial chains out of China.

Ryan Monarch, assistant professor of economics, says it would be more difficult for China's manufacturing industry to transition to the high-end amid deteriorating U.S.-China relations and the decoupling of business between the two countries. The trade relationship between the two countries is becoming increasingly hostile, and in this context "it is very challenging to change the [China's] manufacturing strategy," he says.

Read more in the VOA article, "Can China do the 'high-end manufacturing' that Xi Jinping wants?"