China is leading the world in critical technologies that will SHIFT GLOBAL POWER DYNAMICS in years to come
By ljdevon // 2025-01-31
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• China currently leads in 37 of 44 critical technologies, including defense, AI, and quantum research. • The U.S. trails in most areas, holding leads in high-performance computing and vaccines. • China’s research dominance is bolstered by talent trained in Western democracies. • Democratic nations must urgently collaborate and invest to close the gap.

China takes stunning lead in research and innovation

In a world increasingly defined by technological innovation, China has emerged as the undisputed leader in critical and emerging technologies, according to a groundbreaking report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). The Critical Technology Tracker, a comprehensive data-driven project, reveals that China dominates 37 of 44 key technology fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), defense, space, and quantum technologies. This dominance, fueled by decades of strategic planning and talent acquisition, has profound implications for the global balance of power. As Western democracies struggle to keep pace, the report serves as a stark warning: without urgent action, the world risks ceding technological and geopolitical influence to an authoritarian state. The Critical Technology Tracker, which analyzes high-impact research papers from 2003 to 2023, shows China’s overwhelming lead in critical technologies. In fields like advanced aircraft engines, including hypersonic missiles, China produces 48.49% of the world’s high-impact research—nearly five times more than the U.S. Seven of the top 10 research institutions in this field are based in China, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences ranking first or second in many of the 44 technologies tracked. China’s success is no accident. It is the result of deliberate, long-term policy planning under President Xi Jinping and his predecessors. The country has also leveraged global talent, with one-fifth of its high-impact research authored by individuals trained in Five-Eyes countries (the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand). This combination of domestic investment and international expertise has positioned China to excel not only in current technologies but also in future innovations that have yet to be imagined.

Areas Where China Leads:

• Defense and Space: Hypersonic missiles, advanced aircraft engines, and small satellites. • AI and Robotics: Machine learning, natural language processing, and advanced robotics. • Energy and Environment: Critical minerals extraction, photovoltaics, and green energy technologies. • Quantum Technologies: Quantum sensors and communications.

The U.S. and its allies struggle to keep pace

While the U.S. remains a leader in high-performance computing and quantum computing, it trails China in most other areas. The gap between the two superpowers is vast, with other nations like India, the U.K., South Korea, and Germany forming a distant second tier. For example, the U.S. holds the most COVID-19 vaccine patents and has a monopoly on failed medical countermeasures, but these gains are overshadowed by China’s broad dominance in countless other areas. The report highlights a troubling trend: democratic nations are losing the race for scientific breakthroughs and global talent. This has short- and long-term implications. In the near term, China’s ability to translate research into commercial products could give it control over critical technology supply chains. In the long term, unchecked dominance could shift global power and influence to an authoritarian regime, where technological development lacks transparency and accountability.

A call to action for democratic nations

China’s technological ascendancy is not merely a matter of national pride—it is a seismic shift in the global order. The Critical Technology Tracker is more than a warning—it is a roadmap for action. ASPI outlines 23 policy recommendations for democratic nations to close the gap, including: • Investment and Talent: Establish sovereign wealth funds for high-risk, high-reward “moonshot” projects and create specialized scholarships for critical technology research. • Global Partnerships: Strengthen alliances like the Quad (U.S., India, Japan, Australia) and AUKUS to pool resources and expertise. • Intelligence: Build an open-source intelligence center focused on China’s technological advancements. • Commercialization: Foster public-private partnerships to accelerate the translation of research into market-ready technologies. “These findings should be a wake-up call for democratic nations,” the report states. “The costs of catching up will be significant, but the costs of inaction could be far greater.” Sources include: ASPI.org Enoch, Brighteon.ai ASPI.org
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