China's Measuring Instrument Industry

The secret of China's measuring instrument industry's success over the past decade lies in the triple drive of independent breakthroughs in core technologies, national systematic policy empowerment, and high-end manufacturing demand. At the bottom level of technology, China has achieved a leap from 'following' to 'leading': the Chongqing Time Grating team pioneered the nano-time grating technology that 'measures space with time', breaking the monopoly of foreign gratings; Zhongtu Instrument released a fully autonomous three-coordinate measuring machine with a probe accuracy of 0.4 micrometers, filling the gap in high-end geometric measurement; Lima Precision has overcome the challenges of industrial CT micro-focus X-ray sources and 3D reconstruction algorithms, achieving localization of non-destructive testing for chips and aviation components; RTK positioning technology relies on the Beidou system, with domestic modules accounting for over 80% of the market share, and accuracy jumping from centimeter level to millimeter level. At the policy level, policies such as the 'Metrology Development Plan (2021-2035)' and the 'Opinions on the Innovative Development of Metrology in the Manufacturing Industry' have established a full-chain support of 'foundation-application-standard'. The national major scientific research instrument special project has invested over ten billion yuan, promoting the implementation of quantum metrology benchmarks and high-precision calibration systems. At the market end, the scale of electronic measuring instruments has increased from 31.2 billion yuan in 2020 to 55.8 billion yuan in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.3%. Domestic high-end instruments have significantly increased their penetration in the semiconductor, new energy, aerospace, and other fields, forming a positive cycle of 'demand driving research and development, and research and development nurturing the industry'. China is transitioning from being a 'user of measuring tools' to being a 'definer of precision standards'.