Xi said China should lead in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, telecommunications, the Internet of Things, blockchain, synthetic biology, gene editing, brain science, regenerative medicine, integrated robotics, development of new materials, high-efficiency sustainable technologies, and space and maritime technologies.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned in its 2020 report that China seeks to “surpass and displace the United States altogether” in those critical technology areas identified by Xi.
The commission has examined cases of China helping companies with subsidies, below-market-rate loans and — in some cases — espionage to lower the market value of targets in order to acquire foreign companies, Wessel said, adding that one key area in which China is using acquisitions to access US technology advances is biotech.
Advances in biotech — including synthetic biology, or gene editing, sequencing and synthesis — are seen by the Chinese Communist Party as key to addressing a variety of economic and livelihood issues faced by the country, the commission said in another report, in 2021.
“The CCP believes synthetic biology can help address many of China’s most pressing issues, from healthcare needs of an aging population to food supply challenges created by climate change,” the commission said.