In a period of around 40 years, China has gone from being one of the poorest countries on the planet (only 3% of global wealth in 1978, despite having almost a quarter of the world’s population) to the dominant global economic power (with more than 18% of wealth in purchasing power parity terms in 2020). With an average annual economic growth of approximately 10% over that period, its rise has been dubbed ‘a miracle’ and it is envied the world over. As Pierre Papon reminds us here, China’s modernization and rise owe a great deal to its investment in science and technology.
As an example, early this year the whole world was able to see the spectacular progress the Chinese had made in humanoid robotics, with acrobatic dance performances and robots running marathons. And Chinese industry increasingly dominates cutting-edge fields, such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence etc. This article reviews how the Chinese government set in train the country’s modernization in science and technology through strategic planning and steadily increasing investment in research. In just a few decades, China has become the foremost global scientific power and a leading innovator in most strategic sectors of the world economy. The announcement of the latest five-year plan (2026-2030) confirms Beijing’s resolve to carry on down that path, if not indeed to accelerate—and also to export its model. A strong signal that Europeans should take into account in the shaping of their own policy for research and industrial revival.
The article is downloadable only in French. It is not available in English.
