The cutting-edge technology of 2023 is artificial intelligence, with ChatGPT (sometimes creepy) approaching an “iPhone moment” as a revolutionary tool that is rapidly being adopted. But it can only be a sideshow to the real story: China’s rise as the world’s technological superpower. From Baidu’s Ernie Bot to electric vehicle maker BYD, China has the answer to almost every technological development in the world. The US has responded with trade restrictions that limit Beijing’s access to critical materials to make chips used to power gadgets. And President Xi Jinping, in turn, is encouraging China to become self-reliant when it comes to technology. A think tank study partly funded by the US State Department found China’s leadership “at times surprising” and Western democracies are underwhelming.
A study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), based in Canberra, found that in 37 out of 44 areas that include key technologies such as defence, space, artificial intelligence and robotics, China is clearly the leader. And while the US occupies second place in many categories, China is ahead thanks to stellar research, knowledge imported from overseas and years of policy work for technological talent and investment.
“Western democracies are losing out in the global technological competition, including the race for scientific breakthroughs and research,” said the ASPI report, which tracks “high-impact” research based on citation numbers to measure areas in breakthrough countries. The thinker called on western governments to invest more in research and development.
The project was funded by the State Department’s Center for Global Engagement and a grant from the Special Competitiveness Studies Project. ASPI also said the 2021 project on critical technologies funded by the Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is helping to inform that direction.
Some areas where the US remains a leader include vaccines and quantum computing, the study found. However, it is noted that China and the US are higher than other countries in the world. Other technological powers such as the UK, India, Germany and Japan are still far behind, with much smaller research and investment in their respective fields of technology.
“It is important that we seek to fill this gap so that we do not face a future in which one or two countries dominate new and emerging industries.” the report said. “In the long term, China’s leading research position means that it has become the leader not only in the development of current technologies in almost all sectors, but in future technologies that do not yet exist.”
The report determined that China is increasing its knowledge from abroad, especially in the countries of the “Five Eyes” – the UK, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Locally, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has won top rankings in several critical technologies identified by ASPI.
In the coming years, China could have a monopoly in 10 different fields from electric batteries to 5G. ASPI warns that if China’s technological dominance goes unchecked, it could skew “global power and influence” in ways that are not transparent and available for public access or scrutiny.
ASPI did not return immediately fortunerequest for comments.
The report comes as Xi Jinping renews his push for investment in domestic research and technology. Last year, he appointed several scientific experts in AI, aerospace and other fields to leadership positions in the Communist Party. In October, Xi famously used “research” several times during the CCP congress, emphasizing the role that technological progress will play in the coming years.
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