China's Premier Defends Tech Advancements, Calls Them Global Opportunity
Premier Li Qiang addresses concerns over China's rapid tech growth at the World Economic Forum, reframing it as a chance for shared benefits.
China's Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday countered global apprehension over the nation's technological advancements, asserting they represent an opportunity for the world rather than a threat. Speaking at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, Li acknowledged growing international unease, sometimes termed "China Shock 2.0," which views China's high-tech surge as a potential danger to advanced economies.
Li proposed rebranding this phenomenon as "China Opportunity 2.0," suggesting it would lead to broader access to advanced technologies and more widely distributed benefits globally. "China's emerging technologies and products are bringing to the world not shocks, but opportunities," Li stated. "Not threats, but empowerment."
The premier's remarks come as China's rapidly expanding exports of electric vehicles, solar panels, chips, batteries, artificial intelligence, and robotics offer more affordable options in global markets. However, these advancements have also prompted criticism from governments concerned about oversupply and potential unfair competitive advantages, leading some nations to consider protectionist measures.
Li also disputed the assertion that massive state subsidies are the primary driver of China's high-tech success. "There are some people who say that Chinese products are competitive mainly because the Chinese government's subsidies," Li said. "That's not true. The Chinese government is not that wealthy."
He attributed China's technological progress to its vast domestic market, which facilitates the rapid and large-scale deployment of new technologies to its population of 1.4 billion, as well as significant corporate investments. Li cited Chinese technology firms Huawei and Unitree as examples of this innovation success, noting their rapid growth in size and market share. Beijing has previously opposed the U.S. Pentagon's expansion of a list of Chinese military-linked companies to include Unitree and other tech firms, which would prevent them from securing U.S. defense contracts. Huawei is also on this list.