The positive and constructive remarks and actions of high-ranking Chinese and US officials during Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration ceremony signal a promising start for China-US bilateral relations in the coming years. This new window period offers an opportunity to strengthen ties between the two nations, particularly in the field of science and technology cooperation.
Amid the core issues in the bilateral relationship, a steady and growing collaboration in science and technology is crucial. As the world enters a new era of big data and artificial intelligence (AI), which is reshaping production, services, and human life, China and the US stand as the two largest economies and technological powerhouses. According to Hurun’s 2024 unicorn list, the US leads with 703 unicorn companies, China follows with 340, while Germany, the UK, and France combined have 116.
A robust cooperation between China and the US will serve as the most powerful driving force propelling global technology and economic advancement. However, increasing hostility and restrictions on Chinese technology have prevailed in Washington over the past few years.
The US Supreme Court ruled to ban TikTok as of January 19 on the eve of Trump’s inauguration. However, Trump has expressed a willingness to keep TikTok operating temporarily in the US, indicating a positive stance and a new vision on the popular social media platform with its parent company in China.
The Biden administration, during his four-year term, issued a series of bans and restrictions on trade and investment against China in terms of chips, AI, quantum telecommunications, and computing under the pretext of “national security.” The US placed over 800 Chinese companies and institutions on the “entity list” for trade restrictions, adopting a “small yard, high fence” approach to cut China off from the latest technology and its supply chain, aiming to maintain US dominance in frontier technologies.
These bans and restrictions, based on a Cold War mentality and the perception of China as a threat, have caused significant damage to science and technological cooperation, trade, and investment between the two countries over the past few years. However, they have failed to hinder China’s advancement.
The US Commerce Department placed iFlytek, a leading Chinese computing company, on the “entity list” to ban its access to advanced quantum computing technology. In response, iFlytek collaborated with Huawei to develop the “FlyingStar One” Supercomputing Platform, the first indigenous computing platform supporting a trillion-parameter model and the world’s first non-US supercomputing platform. The continued US bans have, in fact, spurred the rise of indigenous computing platforms in China. Moreover, while the US leads in quantum computing, it lags behind China in quantum telecommunications, rendering such bans ineffective.
Washington has imposed strict bans on trade and investment in AI technology with China. Drones, a typical use of AI technology, are predominantly made in China, with 90 percent of drones used by the US army originating from China, according to Mark Anderson, co-founder of a16z. After placing DJI, the world’s largest drone maker based in Shenzhen, on the entity list, the US switched to domestically made drones. However, all drone batteries are still manufactured in China.
Similarly, in the industrial and service robotics sector, while the US excels in laboratory research, it is far behind China’s manufacturing capacity. A Boston Dynamics robot dog, equipped with world-leading technology, sells for $50,000, whereas a Chinese robot dog with language capabilities is available for only $1,500, as noted by Anderson. China’s vast manufacturing capacity makes this possible. A collaborative effort where the US develops advanced AI robots and China undertakes mass production could yield significant benefits for both nations.
Washington has also banned the export of high-process chips and chip-processing equipment to China. However, over the past three years, these measures have proven ineffective. After a brief decline in 2023, Chinese chip imports in 2024 reached 99.4 percent of the 2021 level. The bans have actually stimulated China’s chip industry, with chip exports increasing by 16.2 percent during this period. It is estimated that China will account for 40 percent of the world’s total chip-making capacity by 2027, reducing the US share. A full collaboration mechanism on the chip industry supply chain between China and the US would be mutually beneficial.
The Biden administration approved the extension of the China-US Science and Technology Agreement for another five years, a landmark instrument for institutional collaboration. Over the past four decades, this agreement has been mutually beneficial. It has enabled US scientists and technology institutions to stay updated on China’s scientific and technological developments, while China has learned from the latest US advancements. US scientists have accessed China’s latest information on pregnancy nutrition, earthquake forecasts, flu data collection, air quality monitoring, pest control, and more, contributing to significant scientific achievements.
The joint neutrino experiment in Daya Bay, Guangdong Province, was listed by Science magazine as one of the top ten annual significant scientific breakthroughs. Continuous and constructive cooperation in science and technology offers immense potential for both countries.
It is highly recommended that China and the US open a new chapter by establishing a mechanism of dialogue and joint working groups on science and technology cooperation. By addressing each other’s reasonable concerns and focusing on forward-looking areas of collaboration in future technologies, both countries can become stronger, contributing to a better world.
Reference(s):
Advancing science and tech cooperation benefits China and US
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