In contrast to the narrative of those who doubted China’s sustained growth, some Western voices now concede its momentum but claim its tech surge is “crowding out” their own countries’ room to expand. They identify China’s massive potential but arrive at wrong conclusions about its global implications.
The Communist Party of China concluded a pivotal meeting last week, approving recommendations for the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, a roadmap that will steer national development through 2030. The document reaffirmed the resolve to promote high-standard opening up and create new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation.
A scenario that occurred in a remote Thai nursing home last June, when a woman in Rayong held a flawless video consultation with experts 160 kilometers away, serves as a powerful illustration of such cooperation.
This connection, enabled by a satellite network deployed through a partnership between a Chinese aerospace firm and a Thai university, is just one example of how the rise of China’s tech industry is set to introduce transformative solutions worldwide.
Also in September, the China-ASEAN AI constellation project was kicked off to serve Southeast Asia in the fields of agriculture, logistics and disaster mitigation, via China’s under-construction AI-driven satellite network.
These examples of progress reveal what Chinese tech firms and engineers have long understood — namely that massive, unmet digital demand is a global phenomenon, prevalent in the Global South and even the developed world.
Notably, the global presence of Chinese technology involves not mere vendor-client relationships. Instead, this presence is about laying the foundation for a more equitable future in digital commerce, education and governance.
By narrowing the connectivity gap, China’s burgeoning technology sectors are expanding industrial chains and creating jobs in long-neglected regions in the world, which will benefit global businesses.
China’s contribution to global green transition is also impressive. Europe’s ambitious goals to increase renewable energy adoption have catalyzed investments from major Chinese battery and automotive giants, who have established operations in Germany, France and Hungary.
This local presence, fostered through production and technical collaboration, is speeding Europe’s home-grown advances in battery technology — spinning off fresh innovations and creating more jobs across the value chain.
Swiss giant ABB has teamed up with a local Chinese partner to build a green microgrid at an industrial park in the city of Xiamen in east China’s Fujian Province. As a flagship China-Europe energy-cooperation initiative, this project is now poised to accelerate the roll-out of smart-energy, virtual-power-plant and carbon-management solutions across Europe.
Political interference in normal business operations, as seen in the recent case of semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, will only disrupt the industrial chain and trigger market disorder.
In an open ecosystem free from geopolitical disruptions, sci-tech flows will benefit everyone. The world economy is not a fixed pie to be divided, but a flexible system where innovation can expand options for all.
Also, China is investing in large-scale projects in cutting-edge scientific research, with a strong emphasis on international collaboration. Key areas of cooperation include astronomy, lunar exploration, climate change, deep-sea research and life sciences.
The choice is obvious. Western nations could choose to embrace the stronger China as their partner. In doing so, they will find that unnecessary anxieties will dissolve in an ocean of boundless opportunities for all.
Reporter: Xinhua
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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