Comparative analysis of Chinese and Japanese capitalisms’ coordination problems: divergent vehicle electrification paths

This paper investigates the divergent automobile electrification trajectories of China and Japan, the world’s largest car exporters. Inspired by Regulation Theory approaches, it analyses how their capitalisms’ distinct configurations of socio-economic institutions, including state-economic relations, labour relations, inter-firm competition, financial regimes and the integration into the global economy, have produced different electrification approaches. Supported by Beijing’s de jure electrification strategies through state policies and regulations, Chinese automakers have leapfrogged to all-spectrum green vehicles and battery components and dominated global battery electric vehicle (BEV) production and associated supply chains. Meanwhile, de facto strategies have been dominant in Japan, where car electrification emerged through enterprise-led initiatives and market competition. Japanese automakers with globally diversified businesses have responded to vehicle demands and regulations of different markets, focusing on currently profitable hybrid electric vehicles, but have lagged in BEV development, with limited backing from Tokyo. This paper argues that the divergent electrification paths are attributable to their capitalisms’ institutional architectures, which have caused distinctive coordination problems (e.g. excess capacity, weak consumption and geopolitical tensions for China and Japan’s weakened public-private ties and corporate risk-taking). Amid geopolitical tensions and competition over advanced technologies, major economies worldwide have increasingly favoured de jure strategies, enhancing de-globalisation risk.