Washington is in a ‘scientific arms race’ with Beijing
US is failing to defend its ‘intellectual property’ and slipping behind in ‘investing in new research’
President Xi Jinping has rapidly turned China into a technological superpower. From state-of-the-art renewable energy to electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and robotics, he is now planning to annihilate the United States in the “scientific arms race.”
The threat is a clear and present danger to US national security and other democracies across the world. Unless Washington embraces the challenge, the future will be draped in a red and yellow stars flag, a vivid symbol of China’s Communist Party.
In a commentary for The Wire China, the former acting director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, David Shedd, warned of the dangers facing the Trump administration.
“I’ve witnessed how China systematically works to outpace American leadership in critical technologies,” he wrote at the weekend, stressing that Washington was ‘allowing its research capabilities to wither just at a point when China is making important breakthroughs.’
“Let me be clear, we are losing the scientific arms race to our greatest adversary, and our response – both in defending our intellectual property (IP) and investing in new research – has been dangerously inadequate,” he said.
China has paved the way for scientists to reach new heights.
GLOBAL TIMES
Money-go-round:
- China spent 3.6 trillion yuan or US$496 billion on research and development in 2024.
- The country also outpaced the US in research papers and international patents.
Delve deeper: “From basic research to cutting-edge exploration, China has paved the way for global scientists to reach new heights in discovery and innovation,” state-run Global Times trumpeted in its Observer commentary on March 13.
Big picture: Lizzi C Lee at the Asia Society Policy Institute pointed out last week that it was “no surprise that Beijing” was “going all in on technology.” Her comments came after Xi presided over the National People’s Congress in Beijing, China’s political event of the year.
Bottom line: “What is interesting is how … local governments are embracing tournament-style competition, vying for national recognition as local high-tech champions,” Lee said.
China Factor comment: Amid President Donald Trump’s tariffs tirade and Elon Musk’s “slash-and-burn crusade” against federal funding, the US has been left reeling by China’s R&D quest. Falling behind is not an option for the White House or the rest of the West.