50 years on, has China left Europe behind in the race for a hi-tech future?
Chinese firms have caught up with and in some cases overtaken their European rivals, putting the EU on the defensive
This year marks half a century of formal diplomatic relations between China and the European Union as well as the 25th anniversary of the founding of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. As part of a series of reports examining ties between the two powers, Meredith Chen and Nora Mankel look at how China flipped the technology script with Europe.
They covered 25 cities in five countries – from France to West Germany – and toured dozens of factories, mines, ports, farms, universities and research institutes.
From what they saw, the officials reckoned that China was at least 20 years behind in science, technology and industry – and modernisation in general.
The country was about to embark on reform and opening up – a state policy that would usher in decades of breakneck growth – and the trip offered a clear way ahead.