University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

China wants to become a science, technology, and manufacturing superpower by upgrading and modernizing its industrial base and concentrating the nation’s innovation resources around strategic priorities. However, in this policy brief, Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau, head of the Science, Technology and Innovation program at MERICS, argues that it is difficult for the state to integrate innovation resources because of the gap separating universities and research organizations from industry, which impedes the translation of scientific output into technological prowess. By contrast, Beijing has been much more successful at directing industrial development. As a result, he says, achieving a modernized industrial base is now the dominant framework for Chinese policymakers as they pursue technological self-reliance.