This work seeks to describe the economic and institutional incentives that define China’s role as a provider of public goods in global economic governance. After the creation of the XIII Five-Year Plan in 2016, China expects to become an important contributor to global governance by promoting the development of the world economy. However, this nation has assumed a selective participation within the different regimes of current international economic system. Besides, the appropriation of liberal economic practices by the Asian country is still limited. In this paradox between goals and means, China does not expect to propose or modify an alternative system or substantially adapt the current system. Instead, the improvement of its productive capacities and competences, as promoted by the government, would allow China to encourage competition for a better global provision of public goods through the regime of technical standards, specifically.