According to a report on April 27 on the website of Spain's ABC newspaper, China is stepping on the gas in long-term planning, massive R&D investment, and government support for innovation in key areas enterprises... in order to take the lead in the fierce competition with the United States for technological leadership. The report states that from artificial intelligence to space exploration, renewable energy, robotics, and electric vehicles, China is deploying ambitious strategies. These strategies have already shown initial results, as China has made significant progress in recent years despite tariff tensions and sanctions from Washington, leading in some fields and narrowing the gap with its rivals at an astonishing speed in others. It seems exceptionally difficult to accurately assess the situation between the two major powers in this intense contest, but experts point out that Beijing's rise in key areas is the result of long-term national investment, with a clear goal - to enhance its ability to play a leading role on the international stage. The progress China has achieved has been driven by multiple factors working together, allowing it to face Washington without hesitation today. Rafael Descajales, former Spanish ambassador to China, believes that Beijing's advantage lies in its firm vision for the future and high-level commitment to technology, which is seen as an important means to break free from dependence on the U.S. In his recently published book "China's Rise," he points out: "China places technology at the core, investing substantial resources and motivating research work with the patriotic spirit of scientists. Thanks to this long-term planning, China has made astonishing progress in the past 20 years." This former diplomat acknowledges that America's approach may have an impact on China in high-end chip sectors, but he believes that ultimately it will lead China to double down on internal incentives to achieve technological self-sufficiency. If China continues to focus on building top-tier universities and research centers and supporting scientists, the progress made in various fields in recent years will continue. In contrast, in the U.S., due to Trump's poor relationship with academia, the opposite is happening. Therefore, Rafael Descajales believes that China can benefit not only from its own efforts but also from the negative impact of Trump's policies on American scientific research. Claudio Gonzalez, an expert at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, pointed out that historically, imposing restrictions in areas deemed crucial to national security or the future by the other country and where sufficient resources are available often accelerates innovation. DeepSeek's case serves as a textbook example: "We all thought the bottleneck in artificial intelligence was computing power, but DeepSeek's engineers reminded us that talent, along with certain computing power and data, can find new paths." He predicts: "We will see more technological innovations, such as in AI hardware." This expert believes that in the next 5 to 10 years, China will continue to be one pole of innovation and occupy a key position on the global stage. The article points out that in some niche markets, the largest market in Asia has already surpassed others, while in other fields, there is enough potential to take the lead in the coming years. One piece of data speaks volumes: in 2023, the World Intellectual Property Organization received a record number of patent applications, with China having the highest application volume at 1.64 million, accounting for more than 46% of the total, about three times that of the U.S. The report stated that the world is closely watching this contest between China and the U.S., because we know that the winner of this contest will define the technological future of Earth. (Translated by Su Jiawei) Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498554320640672275/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's views. Feel free to express your opinion by clicking the "upvote" or "downvote" button below.