Strategic Intelligence: China Tech

Strategic Intelligence: China Tech

Summary

This report tackles the issue of whether China will lead the world into the Fourth Industrial Revolution by 2030, spurred towards greater self-reliance by the imposition of increasingly stringent US tariffs and sanctions. It also assesses whether this will spawn a Beijing-centered global economic security zone dependent on Chinese technology. GlobalData concludes that China will succeed at both, with major implications for the world order. This report examines the foundational technologies that must be developed and deployed over the decade to nurture the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Oil was the control point of the last century, and data will replace it in the 21st, fueling the algorithmic engines of the future. China will have more of this fuel than any other country.

Key Highlights

• Driven by a competitive desire to establish market dominance within the tech sphere, there is a race between industrially advanced nations to develop their domestic technology industries. The US and China are engaged in an increasingly fierce trade war, with each nation striving to assert itself as the leader in advanced technologies. The intense rivalry between the US and China has resulted in various import and export restrictions and trading embargos. Political decisions on both sides have wreaked havoc on supply chain security and market expectations.
• The US has had a delayed response to China’s industrial growth since the turn of the century. However, it is now aggressively trying to regain its position as the dominant player in the technology sphere while also attempting to limit China’s access to key technologies and intellectual property (IP). The escalating antagonism between the nations has caused concern among economists, manufacturers, and consumers. While it is widely agreed that competition is essential for technological advancement, it is feared that both the US and China are moving faster than their domestic industries can adapt, raising concerns over impending labor and skills shortages.

• As the great power competition increases between the US and China, the need to get ahead in the technologies of the future has never been of greater importance. Technologies such as AI, 5G, high-performance computing, robotics, and semiconductors are all industries within themselves but have the power to transform outcomes in almost every industry.
• This report looks at how things may play out for China in 14 of the key next-generation technology markets, namely semiconductors, 5G, robotics, consumer electronics, electric vehicles and energy storage, space technology, military technology, high-performance computing, biotechnology, alternative energy, autonomous vehicles, AI, smart cities, and internet platforms.

• The next 30 years will likely see a radical decoupling of China and the US and the evolution of separate global economic and security zones, each with its own technology stack, technology standards, capital markets, and reserve digital currency. This report will help you understand what this means and how it will impact your business.