Beijing is a megacity of 21mn people and home to thousands of businesses. This week, a new surge of COVID-19 hit after a super-spreader incident which stemmed from a nightclub. Just as the chaos and misery of the Shanghai lockdown is over, Beijing may be next. 

A new lockdown in Beijing could impact the manufacturing industry and supply chain, which serve 1.4bn people in China, as well as others across the world.

Here are our Top 10 manufacturing companies in Beijing.

10. China National Machinery Industry Corporation‎ 

Founded: 1997

Construction and agriculture

China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach), which used to be known as the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, is a state-owned manufacturing business which builds manufacturing equipment.

The company is a Fortune Global 500 enterprise and has ranked first among the top 100 enterprises in China's machinery industry for many years.

9. Telling Telecommunication Holding 

Founded: 1997

Communication products

In the world’s most populous country, there are a lot of phone numbers. Based in Beijing, Telling Telecommunication Holding is a single mobile phone distribution company, which also works across Internet marketing, mobile Internet and mobile communication, as well as the lottery and other smaller businesses. 

8. Gigadevice

Founded: 2005

Hardware manufacturer 

Flash memory designer GigaDevice Semiconductor builds microcontrollers and other chips used across a variety of industries. 

Recently, Astute Electronics has made an agreement with GigaDevice to sell their Flash memory products and guarantee market access to their specialist microcontroller development tools.

7. Baic Group

Founded: 1958

Vehicles

Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd., more commonly known as ‘BAIC Group’, builds passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and new energy EVs. It has 130,000 employees and is a world Fortune Global 500 enterprise. The company works across research and development and of course, manufacturing the parts. 

6. Xiaomi Corporation 

Founded: 2010

Electronics

Xiaomi Corporation manufactures smartphones (it is the world’s fourth-biggest brand) and smart hardware connected by an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Xiaomi is passionate about continuous innovation, maximising quality and working efficiently, with a vision that ‘everyone in the world [can] enjoy a better life through innovative technologies’.

5. China National Forest Products Company Limited

Founded: 1979

Manufacturers paper and paper products, coal and rubber

Beijing is known to have poor air quality and most residents used masks well before the COVID-19 pandemic. One route to improve air quality is to plant more trees, something the Chinese government and the CFPC are enthusiastic about. 

CFPC manages forest resources, as well as the export of timber and paper manufacturing.

4. Norinco

Founded: 1988

Manufacturers civil and military products

One company which shares little external information, is China’s Norinco, which manufactures military technology. 

Norinco is also responsible for manufacturing auto parts, engineering machinery and equipment, railway products and petrochemicals.

Norinco Group enthusiastically supports China’s "the Belt and Road Initiative", which will allow China to export products by land through western China, instead of via the sea.

3. Sinochem Group

Founded: 1984

Chemical manufacturer 

Sinochem Group, previously known as China Import Corporation, was among the first state-owned businesses established with the founding of new China.

In the present day, Sinochem Holdings steers close to its vision of ‘In Science We Trust’, as it builds a world-class chemical conglomerate with new technologies. The company is also dedicated to building a sustainable business model.

2. Chinese National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC)

Founded: 1982

Cigarettes

The state owned China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC) is the biggest cigarette manufacturing company in the world, in a country where 52% of men smoke. CNTC manages many separate tobacco manufacturers, as well as the suppliers and tobacco leaf farmers.

However, the CNTC’s time as a top manufacturer may soon be up - as some Chinese smokers kicked the habit during the COVID-19 pandemic and the popularity of e-cigarettes and vapes is growing.

1. Boe Technology Group

Founded: 1993

Electronics

BOE Technology Group manufactures a wide variety of products, including mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, monitors, TVs, vehicle displays, digital information displays and wearable devices. BOE works across display devices (including panels, modules and sets), smart systems and healthcare services. The company is a leading supplier of technologies, products and services with the Internet of Things. 

Based in Beijing, BOE has other manufacturing bases across China, including Chongqing, Chengdu, Hefei, Ordos, Gu’an, Suzhou and Xiamen.