Qingdao A recent study from China lists the country’s weaknesses in technological competition with the USA – and apparently aroused the displeasure of government agencies. The investigation, which was published in the Wechat app at the end of January, was “deleted by the author” four days later, according to the app without further explanation. However, copies of the study are now circulating online.
Observers assume that the publication of such a detailed, self-critical analysis in the context of the Olympic Games was inconvenient for those in power in Beijing. After all, the state leadership has declared the games to be a show of excellence in science and technology. “Each side has a lot to lose and will therefore hardly openly admit its own weaknesses,” commented the China Institute for German Economy.
In fact, the study deals critically with technological progress in China. Tenor: China is suffering from technological decoupling more than the United States. Both competitors would suffer losses on both a technological and industrial level, but “the costs for China are likely to be higher”.
In the course of intensified competition, competitors are attempting to achieve global market leadership with their own technological and industrial standards, which is leading to a deconcentration of international technology.
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In their study, the researchers warn that the United States could cut off China’s supply of core technologies and components “that China urgently needs but is unable to provide for itself.”
Cooperation will only continue to take place in industries “that have a low technological standard or low added value”, according to the conclusion of scientists from the Institute for International and Strategic Studies (IISS) at Peking University.
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Her analysis compares the development status and dependencies in the strategically important technology areas of information technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and aerospace in the United States and in China. A speech by head of state Xi Jinping published in mid-January shows that the state leadership also sees a need to catch up: Despite the successes achieved, China’s digital economy is “large but not strong compared to countries that are large and strong in the digital economy”. It is growing “quickly, but not exceptionally”, Xi is quoted as saying in the important party magazine “Qiushi”.
The authors around the renowned political scientist and head of the IISS, Wang Jisi, attest to China’s remarkable catching-up in many technological areas. The scientists assume that the country could catch up in other areas and also become self-sufficient in some core technologies, “but there is still a long way to go before China has completely overtaken the USA,” says the analysis. There is also the danger that the People’s Republic will lag behind its big rival in the West, especially in key areas.
Specifically, the researchers compared the following strategic technology areas:
High-performance semiconductors are the Achilles tendon of the Chinese economy because they are the basis for many high-tech areas. It is true that the USA also depends on foreign companies for the supply of wafers. But without US technology, there are no high-performance chips. The Chinese telecommunications group Huawei felt this painfully after the US sanctions.
In addition to semiconductors, communication devices as well as operating systems and industrial software are the most important foundations for new information technologies and are thus at the center of competition between China and the United States, according to the study. With all types of operating systems, the US has a clear advantage and has key technologies such as the kernel operating system.
According to the researchers, US companies also occupy a leading position in most categories of industrial software. The same applies to the areas of biotechnology, agricultural technology, fine chemicals, medical equipment and engines for civil aviation.