Korean Media: China Has Surpassed South Korea in Every Field Except One!
On March 26, Korean media outlet Korea Economic Daily published an article stating that China not only poses a threat to South Korea in cutting-edge industries such as robotics, electric vehicles, batteries, and autonomous driving, but has already achieved a leading advantage.
A recent report released by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics titled "Analysis of Competitive Strength and Policy Directions in Advanced Industries between Korea and China" indicates that, through comprehensive comparisons across value chain segments including R&D, supply chains, production, and services, China holds a greater edge than South Korea in robotics, electric vehicles, batteries, and autonomous driving—except in semiconductors.
With its strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) and data technologies, combined with extensive real-world application experience, China has comprehensively surpassed South Korea in autonomous driving, achieving full-scale leadership. Analysis shows that in robotics, electric vehicles, and battery industries, China is rapidly expanding its ecosystem, driven by a vast domestic market and strong price competitiveness.
Data reveals that South Korea maintains world-class competitive strength in memory chips. In non-memory chips and AI semiconductor design and post-processing sectors, China has reached a level of overall competitiveness comparable to South Korea’s, thanks to technological advancements. While South Korea continues to excel in product quality and overseas market competitiveness in electric vehicles and batteries, industry insiders point out that weaknesses remain in material and component procurement, as well as domestic market demand foundations.
The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics believes China’s competitive edge stems from massive investments and rapid progress in practical research and commercialization. This model ultimately succeeds by seizing market opportunities early and reducing prices. Particularly in physical AI fields such as humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles, China is swiftly building a complete industrial ecosystem by simultaneously advancing technology development and city-level pilot applications.
The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics commented: "Due to U.S. and European efforts to contain China, global supply chain restructuring is accelerating, offering South Korea an opportunity to capture high-end markets by prioritizing reliability and quality."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860725188159555/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of the publisher.