About 

The China Center’s Technology Initiative studies China’s activity in the technology domain. From international standards-setting to domestic civil-military fusion policies, China’s government has shown great interest in exerting control over the development of technology both in China and abroad. This initiative examines the strategic ramifications of China’s technology policies and the challenges surrounding new technologies. 

 

Recent Analysis 

The Technological Pivot of History: Power in the Age of Exponential Innovation

Just as Halford Mackinder, in his seminal work The Geographical Pivot of History, argued that control over the Eurasian heartland held the key to global mastery, the world stands at the precipice of another pivotal shift—one driven not by...

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The Rise of Sino-Russian Biotech Cooperation

  Abstract The People’s Republic of China’s rise as a global innovation power is rooted in the development of a sovereign innovation infrastructure, one that allows China to compete in high-technology races with the United States. This process is...

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Russian Hypersonic Glide Vehicles: What to Know and What to Fear

Abstract  Recent news of hypersonic tests in both Russia and China stoke fears of a technological gap for the United States. However, a sober analysis of the state of hypersonic technology raises doubts of its capabilities, or usefulness in...

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Don’t blame China for the rise of digital authoritarianism in Africa

The Chinese state is the poster child of using digital tools for domestic surveillance and censorship. But China is not the only country exporting digital technologies that can be used for authoritarian modes of governance. Reliant on importing new...

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Labs over Fabs: How the U.S. Should Invest in the Future of Semiconductors

Executive Summary  The U.S. semiconductor industry faces an existential competitive threat. China’s efforts to catch up and eventually overtake the U.S. in semiconductor technology is not only an economic challenge—it is also a security threat. The Trump administration’s decision...

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‘Ghost Work’ in Modi’s India: Exploitation or Job Creation?

Many of the apps we use—as smart and as fast as they appear—cannot function without people working behind the scenes to fill in the gaps. Machines are not as good as humans (yet) at figuring out whether a tweet...

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Events