Nation aims to be No 2 manufacturer by 2035

China aims to surpass Germany and Japan to become the world's second-most-powerful manufacturing nation behind the United States by 2035, and by 2045 it plans to be a world manufacturing powerhouse on par with the US, Zhou Ji, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said on Monday.

"China is now the world's largest manufacturer, but not necessarily the strongest," he said.

According to the 2017 index on manufacturing development published by the academy on Monday, the top four manufacturing nations in 2016 were the US, with a score of 172.28; Germany with 121.31; Japan, 112.52; and China, with 104.34.