Based on trade in value-added,this paper has estimated the revealed comparative advantage(RCA) of China’s various manufacturing sectors between 1995 and 2011 and compared with the RCA indexes measured using conventional aggregate accounting approach.Results indicate that:(1) the RCA index measured using conventional aggregate accounting approach has underestimated China’s comparative advantage of labor-intensive sectors but overestimated China’s comparative advantage in capital,knowledge and technology-intensive manufacturing sectors,giving rise to a serious misjudgment.(2) The RCA measured using value-added approach shows that in the industry chain layout of global manufacturing sectors,China’s comparative advantage is still concentrated in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors but has signs of weakening;in capital,knowledge and technology-intensive sectors,China is yet to develop any significant comparative advantage;there are signs that China is developing comparative advantage in capital-intensive sectors yet China’s comparative disadvantage in knowledge and technology-intensive sectors has no significant tendency to improve.This result not only helps correct the misjudgment of China s competitiveness in manufacturing sectors based on conventional aggregate accounting approach but offers important policy implications for setting strategic directions and policies for China s manufacturing transition and upgrade. Based on trade in value-added, this paper has estimated the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) of China’s various manufacturing sectors between 1995 and 2011 and compared with the RCA indexes measured using conventional aggregate accounting approach. Results indicate that: (1) the RCA index measured using conventional aggregate accounting approach has underestimated China’s comparative advantage of labor-intensive sectors but overestimated China’s comparative advantage in capital, knowledge and technology-intensive manufacturing sectors, giving rise to a serious misjudgment. (2) The RCA measured using value-added approach shows that in the industry chain layout of global manufacturing sectors, China’s comparative advantage is still concentrated in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors but has signs of weakening; in capital, knowledge and technology-intensive sectors, China is yet to develop any significant comparative advantage ; there are signs that China is developing comparative advantage in c apital-intensive sectors yet China’s comparative disadvantage in knowledge and technology-intensive sectors has no significant tendency to improve.This result not only helps correct the misjudgment of China s competitiveness in manufacturing sectors based on traditional aggregate accounting approach but offers important policy implications for setting strategic directions and policies for China’s manufacturing transition and upgrade.