Beyond US China Decoupling, Self Reliance Becomes A Global Movement
A recent visit to Mianyang, the second largest city in Sichuan, reveals a place rich with history yet often overlooked outside China. Just 90 minutes from Chengdu, Mianyang is home to one of the country’s densest concentrations of scientists. This identity traces back to a transformative period between 1964 and 1978, when China launched the landmark Third Front Construction. Faced with geopolitical pressure and fears of external threats, China relocated critical industries, research institutes and skilled workers inland to build a secure, self reliant industrial backbone.
This was not a small shift. Entire research teams, defence engineers and manufacturing units moved from coastal hubs such as Shanghai and Beijing to the mountainous regions of western China. Many facilities were carved into rock formations for protection, leaving behind a network of underground factories and laboratories. For Mianyang, this period reshaped the city into a scientific powerhouse, embedding a culture of resilience and innovation that continues today.
China’s Three Industrial Phases
The Third Front era represents the second of three defining chapters in China’s industrial rise. The first began in the 1950s, when the country built its heavy industrial foundation along the east coast. The second centred on defensive inland development, marked by the relocation of strategic assets into regions like Sichuan, Guizhou and Shaanxi.
The third phase, beginning in the late 1970s, emerged with reform and opening up. China gradually integrated with global markets, attracting foreign investment and becoming a crucial part of worldwide supply chains. This pivot shaped China into the manufacturing centre of the world and turned coastal cities into global trade hubs. Yet as global geopolitics shift again, the strategic logic behind self reliance is resurfacing.
A Global Trend Toward Reduced Dependence
Much of today’s discussion around self reliance is framed in the context of US China rivalry. The narrative tends to focus on decoupling, competition in supply chains and the race for dominance in advanced technology. But a broader, quieter trend is unfolding. Countries far beyond China and the US are building their own versions of strategic autonomy.
Nations in Europe are exploring “de risking” to protect themselves from external shocks. Southeast Asian economies are strengthening domestic manufacturing and food security. India is investing heavily in electronics and semiconductor independence. Even smaller states are looking at ways to secure key resources and reduce vulnerabilities created by global interdependence.
Self reliance is no longer a China specific phenomenon. It is becoming a worldwide movement shaped by pandemic disruptions, geopolitical tensions and the recognition that global supply chains, while efficient, are fragile by design.
Balancing Independence And Engagement
While the motivations vary, most countries are not seeking isolation. Instead, they want to reduce excessive dependence in critical sectors while still participating in global trade. This approach allows nations to build buffers against uncertainty without dismantling decades of economic integration.
Interestingly, despite competing visions between China and Western countries, strengthening self reliance on both sides may actually reduce long term friction. When nations feel less vulnerable to each other’s supply chains, the impulse to escalate tensions decreases. In this sense, selective independence can help restore a sense of strategic peace of mind.
Mianyang As A Symbol Of Renewal
Returning to Mianyang, the city now stands at the intersection of past and future. The legacy of the Third Front Construction created foundations for today’s research institutions, defence technology and advanced manufacturing clusters. Modern Mianyang hosts major labs, electronics companies and innovation parks, linking its historical mission of self reliance with contemporary goals of technological advancement.
China’s renewed focus on developing its own semiconductors, high end equipment and autonomous innovation echoes the spirit of that earlier era, but with modern tools and global ambitions. Mianyang’s evolution shows how historical decisions continue to shape China’s strategic thinking long after the political climate has changed.
A New Understanding Of Global Interdependence
As supply chains reconfigure, the world may be entering a more balanced form of globalisation. One where nations pursue resilience without severing cooperation, and where strategic autonomy coexists with economic interconnection.
Self reliance today is not the retreat it once implied. Rather, it is becoming part of a modern development strategy aimed at avoiding systemic risks while maintaining stable global engagement.
