Standards battles in China: opening up the black box of the Chinese government

Research on standards battles primarily focus on battles that occur in developed economies. In this research we focus on standards battles in China. In particular, we analyse two cases in which, in China, two competing domestic standards were developed in response to international standards but where the domestic standards do not get diffused in the international and domestic arena. Although the government plays a significant role in developing China's economy, we show that her strong hand does not easily promote a chosen standard into market dominance. By studying these cases of standards battles we open up the black box of the government and identify inconsistencies and competition within the government that lower overall commitment to enforce a strong standardisation policy of the Chinese government.