By Akram Zaoui and Tai Ming Cheung, Professor at the University of California in San Diego and Director, UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

Over the past decades, China has discreetly built up its innovation capabilities. While the U.S. and the West were busy in their “war against terrorism”, China patiently poured capital and focused on the development of its technology. China notably anticipated the technological needs that the green transition would require, and consolidated its global footprint in related sectors. Moving from export-driven growth to technological autonomy and innovation-driven growth is now the main challenge awaiting the People’s Republic. For this discussion, Pr. Tai Ming Cheung, director of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, author of Innovate to Dominate, and a leading voice on the security/technology nexus in China, reviews the main implications of China’s efforts to become the global leader in innovation.