704 { China’s Quest
of researchers per million of population, China ranks far below the leading
technological powers.
In all, China’s industrialization has progressed very rapidly and success-
fully. But whether China will be able to realize its aspiration of becoming
a world leading technology innovator remains to be seen. While recogniz-
ing that foreign investment and technology transfer helped propel China’s
rapid economic modernization since 1978, China’s leaders are unwilling to
accept the subordinate and dependent role in the international division of
labor produced by those market-driven transnational flows of capital and
technology. China’s leaders have put in place a comprehensive set of indus-
trial policies designed to turn it into a world leading innovator of technol-
ogy by 2050. China’s industrial structure will gradually be transformed—if
these plans are successful—from a low-wage, labor-intensive manufacturer to
a knowledge-intensive, high-value-added manufacturer. China will no longer
be dependent on foreign countries, especially the United States, for techno-
logical advance, but will become self-reliant in that area, eventually becoming
a major supplier of new technology to the world. These ambitious policies
are underpinned by a conviction that Chinese scientists and engineers can
at least equal, and perhaps exceed, the genius and creativity of scientists and
engineers in Western countries. It is too early to say whether this dream will
be realized. But clearly China’s ambition is to become a leading world power.