China's extraordinary economic development is explained in large part by the way it innovates. Through case studies and policy analysis, this book reveals how China's innovation machine acts in a similar way to a natural ecosystem, in which the best fitting innovations that are initially random and isolated are selected by the market and amplified.

Introduction 1: China's Innovation Machine 2: Has China Caught Up in the Global Innovation Race? 3: Effectiveness-Based Manufacturing as a Foundation of China's Innovation Machine 4: China's Mega Supply Chains 5: China's Digital Economy: Survival of the Most Connected 6: Technology Entrepreneurship 7: Institutional Logics in Innovation 8: Chaotic Order: The Future of China's Innovation Machine

Marina Yue Zhang is an associate professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Swinburne University of Technology. She holds a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Peking University, and a PhD from Australian National University. She held academic positions at Tsinghua University and UNSW. Before her academic career, Marina worked for IBM and Ericsson, and co-founded two technology startups in China. Her current research looks into innovation ecosystem, technology entrepreneurship, smart manufacturing, and latecomer catch-up in innovation. Mark Dodgson is Emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia, and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London, UK. His PhD is from Imperial College London. His previous roles include Executive Director of the National Graduate School of Management at the Australian National University. He has been on the board of two multi-billion dollar companies and five start-ups. He has advised numerous companies and governments throughout Europe, Asia and North, and South America and has researched and taught in over 60 countries. David Gann is Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Development and External Affairs, and Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School and Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, UK. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art, and Fellow of the City & Guilds Institute. He is a university and business leader with extensive international experience in innovation strategy and technology management, and has formed 5 companies, mentors start-ups, and advises boards on innovation and technology management. His research explores why and how innovation happens, the ways it continually transforms the world we live in, and how it can be managed.

A contemporary study of how innovation and entrepreneurship play a central role in China's economic success, including post-Covid analysis An in-depth look at digital transformation in China reveals the importance and resilience of China's supply chains and manufacturing clusters supported by digital platforms Shows how evolutionary theory explains China's innovation performance, disproving the widely held view that government predominates in innovation