In response to intensifying competition in the valve industry and challenges such as "low-price internal friction" and "homogeneous rivalry" in certain segments, the Valve Branch of the China General Machinery Association (CGMA) launched the "Initiative for Strengthening Industry Compliance and Self-Discipline Against Unfair Competition" during the "2025 Provincial and Municipal Valve Association Work Symposium" on October 16. This marks the first anti-involution initiative in the general machinery sector spearheaded by a specialized branch, focusing on a specific segment. Nineteen provincial and municipal valve associations and chambers of commerce nationwide endorsed the initiative, signaling a critical shift from "price competition" to "value competition" in the valve industry. It also provides a replicable model for combating involution across the broader general machinery field.
As a specialized branch of CGMA, the Valve Branch, based on industry research and consensus among member enterprises, took the lead in issuing this anti-involution Initiative. It outlines four core principles-rational competition, quality first, innovation-driven growth, and collaborative symbiosis-and proposes three concrete actions:
⒈ Uphold quality as the lifeline, strengthening the industry's foundation with reliable products.
⒉ Focus on innovation and breakthroughs, leveraging technological advancement to escape the homogeneity trap.
⒊ Enhance industry self-regulation, fostering coordinated governance to maintain market order.
The Initiative emphasizes that involution is a "trap" for development, while innovation is the "key" to the future. It calls on stakeholders to seize the opportunity of building a unified national market, reject malicious competition, and return to the essence of value creation-promoting standardization through self-discipline and upgrading through innovation. The statement also sincerely invites users and the broader society to oversee these efforts, working together to cultivate a healthy, dynamic, and sustainable industry ecosystem.
Anti-involution requires more than slogans-it demands action from every enterprise: leading firms setting examples, SMEs focusing on specialization, media disseminating rational voices, and mutual trust across the industrial chain. Wu Jianxin, Chairman of the CGMA Valve Branch, stressed, "Our goal is to transition from 'competing on who is cheaper' to 'competing on who is more reliable and technologically advanced,' ultimately achieving industry-wide upgrading through standardized competition."
