According to the 2003 Statistical Bulletin on National Economic and Social Development released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's steel production in 2003 was 220 million tons, an increase of 21% over the previous year. According to the ratio of 40% of the steel used for welding in China, the amount of steel used for welding structures is close to 90 million tons.

In industrialized countries, the amount of steel used for welding basically accounts for 60% -70% of their total steel production. According to the overall goal requirements of China's national economic development in 2020 and the predicted development trend of China's welding industry, China may reach a level of 60% in the next 5 to 10 years. At that time, China's steel production will be between 250 million and 300 million tons. This means that the welding volume will double, creating a considerable demand for welding production efficiency and labor. Considering the actual space for the growth of welding production efficiency in China, the linkage between productivity and labor force, and other factors, the demand for welding labor force in China may exceed one million in the future. Therefore, the welding industry will continue to maintain a growth trend in the next 5 to 10 years.

On the eve of entering the 21st century, the American Welding Society (AWS) organized authoritative experts to discuss and formulate the development strategy of the welding industry in the United States for the next 20 years. The analysis report predicts the future of welding as follows: in 2020, welding will still be the preferred method for connecting metals and other engineering materials. The US industry will rely on its leading advantages in connectivity technology, product design, manufacturing capabilities, and global competitiveness to become the world leader in these cost-effective and high-performance products.

It is not difficult to see that welding not only has broad application space in the future industrial economy, but also will have a greater impact on product quality, manufacturing capabilities, and competitiveness of enterprises.

After joining the WTO, as the world's largest developing country and the most economically dynamic country, the development of China's welding industry is full of opportunities and challenges. How to effectively seize opportunities, meet challenges, and ensure sustainable and healthy development in the future is an important issue facing China's welding industry.