Beijing’s progress in implementing its “Made in China 2025” (MIC2025) strategy for industrial modernisation over the past decade is raising fresh alarms in Washington, with a congressional panel using it on Thursday to warn that the US is at risk of falling behind as China takes unexpected strides in the realms of artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robotics.
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In response, Washington should strive to boost tech ties with allies and ease visa rules for Chinese STEM talent, analysts urged on Thursday during an online hearing – dubbed “Made in China 2025 – Who is winning?” – held by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which monitors and reports on the national security risks of bilateral trade and economic ties.
“Beijing has obliterated the myth that used to prevail in Washington a few years ago that China can’t innovate – that it can only borrow and steal technology,” said Liza Tobin, managing director at Garnaut Global, a geopolitical-risk advisory firm, during the hearing.
And in her written testimony to the commission, she warned: “We are unprepared to sustain a prolonged conflict with our primary strategic rival. The US defence industrial base now depends on a potential adversary for critical inputs, from rare earth minerals to advanced electronics and even the energetic materials used in explosives for weapons.”
“We risk losing the next industrial revolution, which is unfolding as AI converges with physical industry to transform how things are made,” Tobin added.
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China launched the MIC2025 plan in 2015 to drive self-reliance and innovation across 10 key industries. As of April, the country had achieved 86 per cent of its targets, according to the Post’s calculations.