Can China pull itself out of the ‘middle technology trap’ and challenge US at the top?

Some developing countries initially benefit from low-cost advantages, but struggle to catch up with other nations once they reach a certain stage

The current debate in China centres around the question of whether it needs to close a significant gap with the West in terms of development

Reading Time:5 minutes

Holly Chikin Hong Kong,Dannie PengandZhang Tongin Beijing

Published: 6:00am, 7 Mar 2024Updated: 9:22am, 7 Mar 2024

China’s political elite and lawmakers gather this week for the country’s annual legislative sessions which will set budgets and lay down Beijing’s plans for the country’s economy, diplomacy, trade and military. In this, the final part of the series, our science reporters look at the country’s prospects of avoiding long-term technological stagnation.

China’s “two sessions” this week are expected to generate more policies to support science and technology as part of a strategy to boost economic growth.

The legislature and top political advisory body are meeting amid an intensifying debate about the state of the country’s technological development and the risk of a “middle-technology trap” – a situation where developing countries initially benefit from the transfer of industrial capabilities due to their low-cost advantages but risk longer-term stagnation when they struggle to catch up with more technologically advanced nations.

One of the drivers of the debate, Zheng Yongnian, a political scientist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen argued last year that “for a large economy like China, it will be difficult to achieve high-quality economic development without technological upgrades”.

In an article for the Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences he said the country currently rated at around “four to seven” out of 10 in terms of technological development and needed to find ways to move itself to a rating of “eight or more”.

Zheng’s argument sparked a fiery debate in China, with some supporters arguing that it objectively portrays the considerable gap between China’s technological advancement and that of the West.

But opponents say the concept of a middle-technology trap fails to accurately depict China’s current status because it has surpassed the United States in some regards.

SCMP Series

China’s ‘Two Sessions’ 2024: what to expect

[ 7 of 7 ]

Can China pull itself out of the ‘middle technology trap’ and challenge US at the top?

Some developing countries initially benefit from low-cost advantages, but struggle to catch up with other nations once they reach a certain stage The current debate in China centres around the question of whether it needs to close a significant gap with the West in terms of development

Some developing countries initially benefit from low-cost advantages, but struggle to catch up with other nations once they reach a certain stage

The current debate in China centres around the question of whether it needs to close a significant gap with the West in terms of development