Yaner Li holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Lanzhou University and works as a journalist in China, primarily covering the shipbuilding industry. After gaining extensive frontline reporting experience, she returns to academia and earns an MSc in Politics of Asia from SOAS, University of London. Her Master’s thesis is titled: “Has Taiwan’s Shipbuilding Industry Hindered the Indigenous Defense Submarine Program?”

Yaner Li is currently a PhD candidate in the doc.funds subproject “The Transformation of China’s Shipbuilding Industry since the 1970s: Ownership, Labor, and Emerging Entrepreneurism.”

Research interests:

• Modern Shipbuilding History
• History of the Labour Movement
• China’s Reform and Opening-up
• Cross-Strait Relations

Current research project:

The Transformation of China’s Shipbuilding Industry since the 1970s: Ownership, Labor, and Emerging Entrepreneurism

The shipbuilding industry serves as a microcosm of China’s modern heavy industry development. Since China’s reform and opening-up in 1978, the industry has undergone a transformation from a planned economy to a market economy, from state monopoly to privatization, and from serving primarily domestic needs to competing internationally. Following China’s accession to the WTO in 2001, the nation’s shipbuilding market share soared, eventually reaching the top position globally. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of labor shifts, company strategies, and government policies, challenging the conventional explanation of the industry’s growth based solely on state subsidies and low labor costs. By focusing on this sector, the research provides a broader perspective on China’s overall economic, social, and political transformation.