China’s lagging basic research demands core tech pivot as US curbs bite: economic adviser
Wang Yiming says Beijing must innovate from the ground up to create deterrents against foreign supply cuts, citing missed R&D spending target
China cannot merely chase the technological frontier – it must seize ownership of it, a prominent economist has warned, urging Beijing to accelerate basic research and master core technologies to gain leverage against Washington’s targeted restrictions.
Speaking at a seminar held by Peking University’s National School of Development on Sunday, Wang cautioned that the nation remains vulnerable.
“We still haven’t broken free from reliance on others for key core technologies because our ability to innovate from the ground up remains weak,” said Wang, who is also an adviser to the central bank and a former official at the top economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission.
Wang argued that China needs to forge a leading position in strategic sectors that match the trajectory of the future. Achieving leadership in key technologies would give China the leverage to respond in kind if other countries threaten to cut off supplies, creating a deterrent that makes such threats far less likely, he said.
05:04
China creates analogue AI chip said to be 1,000 times faster than Nvidia GPU