Editing Ballpoint pen (section)

=== Production in China ===

Many industrial sites specialized in pen production were created in China. One important production site is the [[Fenshui Township, Tonglu|Fenshui Township]]. Their ballpoint pen production started in 1974, when the Hangzhou Ballpoint Pen Factory initiated its production using [[bamboo]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chow |first1=Hal |date=10 August 2023 |title=Wonderful pens blooming flowers all over the city——The development practice of "block economy" in Tonglu water diversion |url=https://www.prostargifts.com/wonderful-pens-blooming-flowers-all-over-the-city-the-development-practice-of-block-economy-in-tonglu-water-diversion/ |access-date=25 February 2025 |website=Prostar |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225043607/https://www.prostargifts.com/wonderful-pens-blooming-flowers-all-over-the-city-the-development-practice-of-block-economy-in-tonglu-water-diversion/ |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> The [[Wengang|Wengang Township]] has a long tradition of brush pen production,<ref>{{cite news |last=Tong |first=Zhao |date=5 September 2021 |title=Across China: Locals paint prosperous lives in hometown of Chinese brush pens |url=http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0905/c90000-9892213.html |publisher=[[People's Daily]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225044935/http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0905/c90000-9892213.html |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> but all kinds of pens are produced, including ballpoint pens.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Don |date=17 December 2007 |title=Fake pens write their own ticket |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-17-fi-fakepens17-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225045434/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-17-fi-fakepens17-story.html |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> In 2002, China's Pen Capital was constructed in [[Wenzhou]], with an investment of ¥ 600 million. [[AIHAO]] was one of the first companies to move to the industrial site. Their most famous product is the ball-point pen.<ref name="world bank">{{cite book |last1=Dinh |first1=Hinh T. |last2=Rawski |first2=Thomas G. |last3=Zafar |first3=Ali |last4=Wang |first4=Lihong |last5=Mavroeidi |first5=Eleonora |year=2013 |title=Tales from the development frontier: how China and other countries harness light manufacturing to create jobs and prosperity |language=en |publisher=[[World Bank]] |isbn=978-0-8213-9989-7 |doi=10.1596/978-0-8213-9988-0|doi-broken-date=20 May 2025 }}</ref>{{Rp|[{{google books|RU1ZAQAAQBAJ|page=210|plainurl=yes}} 210–211]}}

In the 2000s, China ballpoint pen production skyrocketed. In 2017, China produced 38 billion ballpoint pens per year, 80% of the global market. But the country had a problem in doing precision engineering, including the ballpoint pen tip, that had to be imported from Germany, Switzerland and Japan for the cost of [[Yuan (currency)|¥]] 120 million a year.<ref name="china daily">{{cite news |last1=Ruisheng |first1=Sun |last2=Nan |first2=Zhong |date=18 January 2017 |title=China set to make own ballpoint pen tips |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-01/18/content_27985815.htm |publisher=[[China Daily]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225053605/https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-01/18/content_27985815.htm |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref><ref name="TWSJ">{{cite news |last1=Yap|first1=Chuin-Wei |date=30 January 2017 |title=With Pen Plan, China Etches Nationalist Economic Policy |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/with-pen-plan-china-etches-nationalist-economic-policy-1485785256 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=25 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Worstall |first=Tim |date=26 January 2016 |title=China Can't Make A Ballpoint Pen, And Why We Shouldn't Worry About TRIPS|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/01/26/china-cant-make-a-ballpoint-pen-and-why-we-shouldnt-worry-about-trips/ |work=[[Forbes]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225051145/https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/01/26/china-cant-make-a-ballpoint-pen-and-why-we-shouldnt-worry-about-trips/ |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> The subject was criticized by [[western media]]. ''[[Forbes]]'' argued that the lack of [[Intellectual property|IP]] protections were the cause of it, as the country wouldn't attract investments in innovation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Worsall |first=Tim |date=26 January 2016 |title=China Can't Make A Ballpoint Pen, And Why We Shouldn't Worry About TRIPS |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/01/26/china-cant-make-a-ballpoint-pen-and-why-we-shouldnt-worry-about-trips/ |work=[[Forbes]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225051145/https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/01/26/china-cant-make-a-ballpoint-pen-and-why-we-shouldnt-worry-about-trips/ |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> ''[[Financial Times]]'' argued that because of Chinese self-sufficiency policy, companies handled the entire [[supply chain]] by themselves, thus creating inefficiency.<ref name="FT">{{cite news |last=Murayama |first=Hiroshi |date=10 April 2017 |title=Ballpoint pens and the danger of China's 'one-dragon' policy |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a9050c2a-1b7b-11e7-a266-12672483791a |url-access=subscription |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225051705/https://www.ft.com/content/a9050c2a-1b7b-11e7-a266-12672483791a |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> ''[[Hong Kong Economic Journal]]'' declared that "the day China can produce a 100% homemade ball pen will be the day it truly qualifies as a first-class industrial power".<ref name="sky news">{{cite news |last1=Minelle |first1=Bethany |date=13 January 2017 |title=Finally! After years of trying, China celebrates ballpoint pen breakthrough |url=https://news.sky.com/story/finally-after-years-of-trying-china-celebrates-ballpoint-pen-breakthrough-10726914 |publisher=[[Sky News]]}}</ref>

Since 2011, the [[Ministry of Science and Technology (China)|Ministry of Science and Technology]] invested $8.7 million in the production of the tips. Beifa Group worked with [[Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group|Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group]] (TISCO) with no success.<ref name="TWSJ"/> In 2016, the [[Premier of China|Chinese Premier]] [[Li Keqiang]] complained on national television about the quality of Chinese pens.<ref name="sky news"/> In June 2016, TISCO produced the first national ballpoint pen. In November, TISCO's industry standard was approved by the China Metallurgical Standardization Research Institute and on 10 January 2017 the pens were officially announced.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 January 2017 |title=China develops its own ballpoint pen tips |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-01/10/c_135970334.htm |publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225061720/http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-01/10/c_135970334.htm |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref> The achievement reached the front-page news, was discussed in talk shows and celebrated on social media.<ref>{{cite news |first=Minter |last=Adam |date=18 January 2017 |title=China finally invents a ballpoint pen of its own |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/security-tech/technology/china-finally-invents-a-ballpoint-pen-of-its-own/articleshow/56592397.cms |publisher=[[The Economic Times]] |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225062706/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/security-tech/technology/china-finally-invents-a-ballpoint-pen-of-its-own/articleshow/56592397.cms |archive-date=25 February 2025}}</ref>