As China’s political elite gather for the country’s annual legislative sessions this month, we examine the broader forces likely to influence policies for the coming year – and how decision-makers will respond to the unpredictable second term of US President Donald Trump. The second part of the series looks at the tech advancements it has made in the past five years.
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Months before China unveiled its national development strategy five years ago, the Washington-based magazine The Diplomat ran an article to appraise Beijing’s efforts and warn the US policymakers of their implications.
The article asked how the United States should respond to the five-year plan and noted that Beijing had been trying to achieve technological self-reliance and advancement since 2015, when it launched the ambitious “Made in China 2025” plan.
The article warned that even though it was not always successful, China had made enough progress to warrant Washington’s attention.
It concluded that the US still enjoyed an “absolute advantage” over China in many domains and had a vast network of allies, but warned that complacency and inconsistency would be the biggest worry in maintaining its lead.
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That concern proved to be unnecessary. Over the past five years, the US has witnessed two hotly contested and often messy power transitions. Yet if there is any common ground between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, it is their laser-focused attention on China and the relentless attempt to prevent Beijing’s technological advancement.
The US has imposed unprecedented sanctions and restrictions on China, particularly its science and technology sectors.