Global Technology Leadership: The Case of China

Naubahar Sharif () and Can Huang
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Naubahar Sharif: Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

No 2015-11, HKUST IEMS Working Paper Series from HKUST Institute for Emerging Market Studies

Abstract: Over the last century and a half, global technological leadership has shifted from Great Britain to the United States. In this paper we argue that China is positioning itself to assume global leadership in technology within the coming few decades. We identify three sources of competitive advantage for China’s ascent in the global technology stakes: its massive domestic market, its centralized power and willingness to employ state-sponsored industrial policy and government support, and the process of globalization that continues to transform markets worldwide. After acknowledging skeptical views of China’s capacity to achieve global technology leadership, we survey the present state of affairs and assess its prospects for growth based on statistical evidence and multiple illustrative examples. We argue that the three sources of competitive advantage we explicate offer China a path to imminent global technological leadership.

Keywords: technology leadership; innovation; industrial policy; globalization; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O14 O31 O32 Q55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 36 pages
Date: 2015-02, Revised 2015-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Journal Article: Global technology leadership: The case of China (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hku:wpaper:201511

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