【By Liu Bai, Observer Net】On October 13th local time, French scholar Philippe Aghion, who has just won the Nobel Prize in Economics, warned Europe at a press conference: it must not allow the United States and China to dominate in the field of technological innovation. He also told the media that Europe should learn from China and the United States, and find ways to coordinate "competition policy and industrial policy".

Another winner, American-Israeli scholar Joel Mokyr, criticized the Trump administration's science and research policies during an interview, calling it "the biggest self-defeating event in history," at least the most serious self-harm since the Ming Dynasty in China.

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics was announced on the 13th, with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences deciding to award the prize to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howe, for their "explanation of innovation-driven economic growth."

On October 13th, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howe (left to right on the large screen). IC Photo

According to France 24 TV, at the winners' announcement press conference held in Stockholm, Aghion said via video link to journalists, "I think European countries must realize that we should no longer let China and the United States be the leaders in technology, and we must not lose to them in this field."

He said that since the 1980s, the wealth gap between the United States and the Eurozone has significantly widened.

Aghion said, "From after World War II to the mid-1980s, Europe had caught up with the United States in terms of per capita GDP," but the gap widened again afterwards.

"The core reason is that we have not achieved breakthrough innovations in high technology," he said, "we have always been limited to incremental development of mid-range technologies. This issue is highly related to what the Draghi Report pointed out. We lack reasonable policies and institutions to support breakthrough innovations in high technology."

Former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi released a landmark report last year, which proposed a series of recommendations to revitalize the EU economy, including investing at least 750 billion to 800 billion euros annually.

Aghion said, "We have not yet formed a complete financial ecosystem supporting innovation."

Reuters reported that at the time of this award, the global economy is at a potential turning point, with many expecting artificial intelligence to trigger a new wave of growth. At the same time, the award also highlights the strategic risks for Europe: in future technology fields, Europe may fall further behind China and the US.

Aghion told Reuters, "De-globalization and tariff barriers are 'obstacles to economic growth.' I believe the larger the market size, the higher the possibility of exchange of ideas, technology transfer, and healthy competition."

"Any factor that hinders openness is an obstacle to growth. Therefore, I see dark clouds gathering, increasing resistance to trade and openness."

Aghion also called on Europe to learn from China and the US, saying that China and the US have found ways to coordinate 'competition policy and industrial policy'.

"In Europe, we used to strongly oppose any form of industrial policy under the name of 'competition policy.' I think we need to change this, and find ways to coordinate industrial policy and competition policy in areas such as defense, climate, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology."

When interviewed by the media, Mokyr and Howe expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's policies.

Mokyr said his research focuses on "why we are much wealthier and live much better than our grandfathers." At the same time, he is concerned that during the Trump administration, the US may lose its leading position in scientific research and education.

"The attack on higher education and research by this administration is perhaps the biggest 'self-defeating' event in history, at least the most serious self-harm since the Ming Dynasty in China actually prohibited scientific research exploration," he told Reuters. "This behavior is self-destructive and entirely driven by irrelevant political factors."

Howe said he was completely surprised by the award, and he also criticized the Trump administration's trade policies.

"It is obvious that these policies will suppress innovation by weakening the scale effect," he told Reuters. "Starting a tariff war only narrows the market size for everyone."

He pointed out, "Trying to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States may have certain political significance, but it is not a reasonable economic policy."

"We are good at designing running shoes, but it is best for other countries to produce running shoes," he said.

According to the official introduction of the Nobel Prize, in the past two centuries, the world has seen sustained economic growth for the first time in history. This process has lifted countless people out of poverty and laid the foundation for human prosperity. The three laureates of the Nobel Prize in Economics this year explain how "innovation provides momentum for further development."

The Nobel Prize official stated that the winners showed in different ways how creative destruction can cause conflicts, and these conflicts must be handled in a constructive way. Otherwise, innovation will be hindered by existing enterprises and interest groups that resist change due to their interests.

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