France's Le Figaro: We Did Not Expect the Rise of Chinese Technology

France's Le Figaro, July 4th report — In an interview, Jean-Hervé Lorenzi, a professor emeritus of economics at Paris Nanterre University and chairman of the Aix-Marseille Economic Conference in Provence, pointed out that the world is currently experiencing four structural shocks not seen in half a century, including unprecedented demographic changes, productivity leaps, financial alienation detached from the real economy, and a surge in global debt. These factors intersecting have led to increased wealth inequality and slowed global growth.

Lorenzi emphasized specifically: "The West did not expect China to rise as a major scientific power." This judgment is supported by the latest data: In 2024, China's R&D intensity reached 2.68% (R&D expenditure exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan), close to the EU average, achieving a leap forward from 2.08% in 2013. China has surpassed the United States in high-quality research output — 61.5% of generative AI patents globally in 2024 came from China, and the number of high-level science and technology talents in China reached 32,511, ranking first in the world for the first time.

The boom of the digital economy highlights China's innovative momentum. In the first quarter of 2025, the income of the digital industry was 8.5 trillion yuan, growing by 9.4% year-on-year; 439.5 million 5G base stations have been built nationwide, with 86 cities deploying pilot projects for 10G optical networks. The construction of smart factories is accelerating, with 30,000 basic-level, 1,200 advanced-level, and 230 excellent-level factories driving the upgrading of manufacturing. In May, the added value of digital product manufacturing grew by 9.1%, far exceeding the overall industrial growth rate.

Enterprises have become the main force in innovation. In 2023, enterprises accounted for 77.7% of R&D investment, contributing 79.4% to the growth of social R&D. Taking the semiconductor industry as an example, Changxin Technology broke through the DRAM chip technology monopoly with 13,449 patents, and its products have already penetrated the supply chains of domestic mobile phone brands such as Xiaomi and OPPO; the "1+6" new policy on the Science and Technology Innovation Board will open up new financing channels for such hard-tech enterprises.

Local practices verify the effectiveness of national strategies. Luo Yunfeng, mayor of Hefei, revealed that the city's R&D intensity reached 4%, and over the past five years, the fiscal science and technology investment exceeded 100 billion yuan; Gao Yingzhong, director of the Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province, pointed out that Zhejiang's regional innovation capability has ranked fourth in the country for three consecutive years, and the target R&D intensity for 2025 is 3.3%.

Facing the rise of Chinese technology, Lorenzi proposed that Europe needs to seize the opportunities of disruptive innovation to regain technological leadership. However, the reality is severe: According to the Nature Index, seven of the top ten global research institutions are in China in 2023, while the number of top U.S. scientists has decreased by 4,818 over the past five years. The technological revolution driven by China's "digital-real integration" is reshaping the global innovation landscape.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836993927581067/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.