미중 기술경쟁 시대 중국의 강소기업 육성전략과 시사점(China’s Policy of Nurturing Hidden Champions and Its Implications on Korea)

중국정부가 제조업 기반 강화 및 핵심 부품소재의 국산화율을 제고하기 위해 강소기업 육성전략을 추진하고 있다. 한중 경제관계가 구조적인 변화를 겪고 있는 과정에서 중국 강소기업의 성장에 따른 중국 산업의 경쟁력 변화에 대한 이해와 대응책 마련이 필요하다. 본 보고서는 중국 강소기업 육성전략의 배경, 지원 분야 및 정책, 주요 기업 사례 및 강소기업 경쟁력을 분석하고 정책적 시사점을 제안하였다. China’s policy of nurturing hidden champions is being promoted on the basis of a systematic development system, which has been established by consolidating the economic development policies scattered in each province by linking them to the national strategy. It nurtures hidden champions in the manufacturing industry to strengthen the foundation of the manufacturing industry and improve the localization rate of key basic parts and materials by 2025, which is the goal set by the “manufacturing powerhouse” strategy at the national level. After classifying small and medium-sized enterprises by growth stage, China is nurturing companies that can supplement the technological gap in the supply chain by focusing technology and capital. It is also expanding the establishment of a national-level manufacturing innovation center necessary for promoting national strategies. The main areas of establishment are high-tech areas such as optoelectronics, display, robotics, lightweight materials, semiconductors, and batteries. The national-level manufacturing innovation center will receive financial support from the government when it is established. In addition, it is operated in a structure in which everyone enjoys the intellectual property rights developed here with the participation of research institutes, universities, and private companies for strategic technology research. In particular, in the semiconductor industry, which has recently increased its strategic importance, three innovation centers are in operation, and core process technologies are being developed by concentrating resources under the leadership of leading companies. In addition, SMEs that participated in this are also building an open system so that they can use the infrastructure and databases of innovation centers. As of 2023, there are 12,950 hidden champions in China, exceeding the 2025 target of 10,000. In particular, the share of companies in the new materials, next-generation information technology, and advanced mechinery industries increased significantly from about 17% in 2019 to 25.7% in 2023. This seems to be due to the Chinese government’s expansion of support to sectors that are more exposed to U.S. sanctions. Financial support strategies for hidden champions are divided into initial government subsidies and tax incentives, and sustainable financial support using private capital. Various methods of financial support are of great importance in that they provide financial resources to SMEs that have a long management period and are difficult to obtain additional support to enhance the competitiveness of the company and prepare new growth engines(the rest omitted).