This original book is a unique and original in-depth study on how, in the past decade, Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have achieved technological innovation in the large infrastructure sectors. It reveals a “new world” of Chinese innovation, showing that SOEs are willing to innovate and are also more than capable of doing so.


Based on findings from first-hand data and years of observations, this book shows how the innovation ecosystem perspective incentivises and facilitates Chinese SOEs’ innovation and highlights the entrepreneurial role of the government. Using the examples of UHV Power Transmission, mobile telecommunication standards, high-speed trains, and nuclear electric power, the book exhibits the complex determinants of SOEs’ success in radical technological innovations within the large infrastructure sector. Chapters also demonstrate the innovation process of SOEs, the unique innovation model of China, as well as its advantages and disadvantages.


Catch-Up and Radical Innovation in Chinese State-Owned Enterprises will be a useful resource for academics in research disciplines such as development studies, innovation and entrepreneurship, and Chinese studies. It will also aid entrepreneurs, businesses and managers who intend to collaborate with Chinese SOEs, to better understand the trends of SOEs’ engagement in radical innovation and the potential opportunities for broadening their international collaborations.