China tech primacy spills over to other U.S. adversaries / China allies.
Bilgin and Loh 21 (Efekan, Alphonse, “Techno-Nationalism: China’s Bid for Global Technological Leadership.” London School of Economics, 2 Nov. 2023,. Efekan Bilgin is a student of Business Administration at Koç University and an incoming exchange student at the National University of Singapore. Previously, he spent over ten years between Shanghai and Beijing. Alphonse Loh is an incoming law student at Trinity College, University of Oxford. blogs.lse.ac.uk/cff/2021/09/28/techno-nationalism-chinas-bid-for-global-technological-leadership/.)
In the long term, the main pillar in China’s move towards self-reliance is the creation of an innovation infrastructure which is “active in creating, leading, and defining international technological standards.” A country’s innovation performance is inextricably tied to the underlying innovation infrastructure, which includes components such as higher education of technical workforce, tax treatment of R&D activities, access to venture capital, and industry/university/government partnerships. Having such an ecosystem would allow China to “free itself from dependency on foreign technology and develop indigenous, high-tech capabilities that satisfy its lucrative domestic market and serve and strengthen its military.”
It is accepted that the United States is the world’s innovation leader, but this position is not unassailable. The last few decades have seen China repeatedly increasing their assault for the top spot. ‘Made in China 2025’ and its immediate predecessor, the ‘National Medium and Long-Term Plan for Science and Technology (2006-2020)’ are the latest policies designed to move China toward the goal of technological leadership. Under these ambitious national policies, China has undertaken a broad range of initiatives with the aim of strengthening innovation infrastructure.
China has taken a number of steps to improve its R&D infrastructure. China’s 13th Five-Year Plan includes increased R&D spending by the Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation, and Academy of Sciences to stimulate innovation and achieve global leadership through innovation. The plan highlights 10 priority sectors: new advanced information technology, automated machine tools and robotics, [including] aerospace and aeronautical equipment, maritime equipment and high-tech shipping, modern rail transport equipment, new-energy vehicles and equipment, power equipment, agricultural equipment, new materials, and biopharma and advanced medical products.
It is important to note that advancements in many of these fields have the potential to be used in both civilian and military applications. Domestic advancements in military technology could allow China to expand its sphere of influence by exporting advanced weaponry to strategic allies and more confidently stand up to the US’s military arsenal.