New Nobel laureate laments and urges Europe to learn from China, otherwise it will only be working for China in the future
October 13th report: French scholar Philippe Aghion, who just won the Nobel Prize in Economics this year, warned at a media meeting: Europe must be vigilant against being left behind by China and the United States in the field of technological innovation.
He pointed out that in the current global competitive landscape, the United States and China have already formed their own mature industrial policies and technology roadmaps, while Europe is still trapped in the ideological misconception that antitrust is everything, and has not yet established its own strategic direction.
Aghion called on Europe to actively learn from China and the United States, especially in how to coordinate competition policy and industrial policy. It must quickly break free from ideological burdens, otherwise it can only be an observer in the next round of technological revolution.
Aghion has long studied innovation economics, always emphasizing the synergy between national capabilities and market mechanisms.
In his view, the problem in Europe is not a lack of scientific research talents or funding for technology, but rather institutional self-defeat.
Taking AI, biotechnology, and green energy as examples, the United States has DARPA and the IRA Act, while China promotes large models, electric vehicles, and high-end manufacturing through a national system. In contrast, Europe insists that open markets should not subsidize domestic enterprises, yet also worries about technology leakage, resulting in neither investment nor protection.
Aghion put it very straightforwardly: For decades, Europe has instinctively rejected any industrial policy, relying solely on the invisible hand of the market, resulting in falling far behind China and the United States.
If this trend continues, Europe will become a high-level worker in the supply chain of the United States and China.
The real gap is not the technology itself, but whether you have the courage to break the old framework and establish a new order when facing technological change.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845939883712592/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.