Science and Technology Collaboration Benefits Both China and the US
Trump's inauguration ceremony saw attendance from Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who represented President Xi Jinping. This marked the highest-ranking official presence from China since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations 46 years earlier.
TroibNews 
Editor’s note: He Weiwen is a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CN.
The positive and constructive comments and actions from high-ranking officials in China and the US during Donald Trump's presidential inauguration ceremony signal promising potential for China-US relations in the coming years, at least during this crucial transitional period.
Among the key issues in their bilateral relationship, sustained cooperation in science and technology is vital.
We are now in an era driven by big data and artificial intelligence, which is transforming production, services, and daily life.
As the two largest economies and technology leaders globally, China and the US play a pivotal role. According to Hurun's 2024 unicorn list, the US leads with 703 unicorns, while China has 340, and Germany, the UK, and France combined have 116.
Strong collaboration between China and the US could provide the most significant impetus for advancing global technology and economic growth.
Nonetheless, a rising sense of hostility and increasing restrictions on Chinese technology have characterized Washington's approach in recent years.
On the eve of Trump's inauguration, the US Supreme Court ruled to ban TikTok starting January 19. The former president expressed support for temporarily allowing TikTok to operate in the US, showcasing a positive shift in perspective regarding a platform that has gained immense popularity in the country despite being owned by a Chinese company.
During his four-year term, President Biden's administration enacted various bans and restrictions on trade and investment with China, particularly concerning technology sectors such as chips, AI, quantum telecommunications, and computing, all under the guise of "national security."
The US has placed over 800 Chinese companies and institutions on an "entity list," implementing a "small yard, high fence" strategy to sever China's access to cutting-edge technology and disrupt its supply chain while maintaining US dominance in emerging technologies.
These bans and restrictions, rooted in a Cold War mindset and the idea of viewing China as a threat, have undermined scientific and technological collaboration, trade, and investment between the two countries in recent years but have not significantly hindered China’s progress.
The US Commerce Department has added iFlytek, a prominent Chinese computing company, to its "entity list," prohibiting its access to advanced quantum-computing technology. However, iFlytek has partnered with Huawei to create the "FlyingStar One" Supercomputing Platform, which is the first indigenous computing platform able to support a trillion parameter model and is recognized as the world's first non-US supercomputing platform.
As US restrictions persist, more indigenous computing platforms are likely to emerge in China. While the US may currently lead in quantum computing, it lags behind China in quantum telecommunications. Thus, the effectiveness of such bans is questionable.
Washington enforces strict limitations on AI technology trade and investment with China. Notably, 90 percent of the drones used by the US military are manufactured in China, as noted by Mark Anderson, co-founder of a16z. Following this, the US placed Dajiang, the world’s largest drone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, on the entity list, pushing the military to pivot to US-made drones, even though all drone batteries are sourced from China.
Service and industrial robots also fall under AI technology. The US boasts superior lab research but trails China in terms of manufacturing capacity. For example, while a Boston Dynamics robot dog with leading-edge technology is priced at $50,000, similar robot dogs with language capabilities are available in China for just $1,500, according to Anderson.
This disparity stems from China's vast manufacturing capabilities compared to the US. A collaborative effort, where the US focuses on developing advanced AI robots and China takes charge of mass production, would yield substantial benefits for both nations.
Moreover, the Biden administration has restricted exports of high-performance chips and chip processing equipment to China.
Recent data over the last three years have shown these measures to be ineffective.
After a slight decline in 2023, Chinese chip imports in 2024 have rebounded to 99.4 percent of 2021 levels. The US bans have inadvertently bolstered China's chip industry, with Chinese chip exports rising by 16.2 percent in the same timeframe.
It is projected that by 2027, China could account for 40 percent of global chip manufacturing capacity, leaving a diminishing share for the US. Establishing a comprehensive collaborative mechanism for the chip supply chain between China and the US could be mutually beneficial.
The Biden administration has also extended the China-US science and technology agreement for another five years, solidifying a key framework for collaboration between the two nations in this domain.
Over the past four decades, this agreement has demonstrated significant benefits for both countries. It has allowed US scientists and institutions to stay informed about scientific advancements in China while enabling China to learn from cutting-edge US research findings.
US scientists have gained access to China's latest research in various areas such as pregnancy nutrition, earthquake forecasting, flu data collection, and air quality monitoring, contributing to advancements in several important fields.
The collaborative neutrino experiment in Daya Bay, Guangdong Province, was recognized by "Science" magazine as one of the year’s top ten scientific breakthroughs. Continued constructive engagement in science and technology presents immense opportunities for both nations.
To enhance cooperation, it is advisable for China and the US to establish a new dialogue framework and joint working groups focused on scientific and technological collaboration.
By acknowledging each other's reasonable concerns while prioritizing future-oriented areas of cooperation in global technologies, both countries can strengthen their positions and contribute positively to the world.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
The positive and constructive comments and actions from high-ranking officials in China and the US during Donald Trump's presidential inauguration ceremony signal promising potential for China-US relations in the coming years, at least during this crucial transitional period.
Among the key issues in their bilateral relationship, sustained cooperation in science and technology is vital.
We are now in an era driven by big data and artificial intelligence, which is transforming production, services, and daily life.
As the two largest economies and technology leaders globally, China and the US play a pivotal role. According to Hurun's 2024 unicorn list, the US leads with 703 unicorns, while China has 340, and Germany, the UK, and France combined have 116.
Strong collaboration between China and the US could provide the most significant impetus for advancing global technology and economic growth.
Nonetheless, a rising sense of hostility and increasing restrictions on Chinese technology have characterized Washington's approach in recent years.
On the eve of Trump's inauguration, the US Supreme Court ruled to ban TikTok starting January 19. The former president expressed support for temporarily allowing TikTok to operate in the US, showcasing a positive shift in perspective regarding a platform that has gained immense popularity in the country despite being owned by a Chinese company.
During his four-year term, President Biden's administration enacted various bans and restrictions on trade and investment with China, particularly concerning technology sectors such as chips, AI, quantum telecommunications, and computing, all under the guise of "national security."
The US has placed over 800 Chinese companies and institutions on an "entity list," implementing a "small yard, high fence" strategy to sever China's access to cutting-edge technology and disrupt its supply chain while maintaining US dominance in emerging technologies.
These bans and restrictions, rooted in a Cold War mindset and the idea of viewing China as a threat, have undermined scientific and technological collaboration, trade, and investment between the two countries in recent years but have not significantly hindered China’s progress.
The US Commerce Department has added iFlytek, a prominent Chinese computing company, to its "entity list," prohibiting its access to advanced quantum-computing technology. However, iFlytek has partnered with Huawei to create the "FlyingStar One" Supercomputing Platform, which is the first indigenous computing platform able to support a trillion parameter model and is recognized as the world's first non-US supercomputing platform.
As US restrictions persist, more indigenous computing platforms are likely to emerge in China. While the US may currently lead in quantum computing, it lags behind China in quantum telecommunications. Thus, the effectiveness of such bans is questionable.
Washington enforces strict limitations on AI technology trade and investment with China. Notably, 90 percent of the drones used by the US military are manufactured in China, as noted by Mark Anderson, co-founder of a16z. Following this, the US placed Dajiang, the world’s largest drone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, on the entity list, pushing the military to pivot to US-made drones, even though all drone batteries are sourced from China.
Service and industrial robots also fall under AI technology. The US boasts superior lab research but trails China in terms of manufacturing capacity. For example, while a Boston Dynamics robot dog with leading-edge technology is priced at $50,000, similar robot dogs with language capabilities are available in China for just $1,500, according to Anderson.
This disparity stems from China's vast manufacturing capabilities compared to the US. A collaborative effort, where the US focuses on developing advanced AI robots and China takes charge of mass production, would yield substantial benefits for both nations.
Moreover, the Biden administration has restricted exports of high-performance chips and chip processing equipment to China.
Recent data over the last three years have shown these measures to be ineffective.
After a slight decline in 2023, Chinese chip imports in 2024 have rebounded to 99.4 percent of 2021 levels. The US bans have inadvertently bolstered China's chip industry, with Chinese chip exports rising by 16.2 percent in the same timeframe.
It is projected that by 2027, China could account for 40 percent of global chip manufacturing capacity, leaving a diminishing share for the US. Establishing a comprehensive collaborative mechanism for the chip supply chain between China and the US could be mutually beneficial.
The Biden administration has also extended the China-US science and technology agreement for another five years, solidifying a key framework for collaboration between the two nations in this domain.
Over the past four decades, this agreement has demonstrated significant benefits for both countries. It has allowed US scientists and institutions to stay informed about scientific advancements in China while enabling China to learn from cutting-edge US research findings.
US scientists have gained access to China's latest research in various areas such as pregnancy nutrition, earthquake forecasting, flu data collection, and air quality monitoring, contributing to advancements in several important fields.
The collaborative neutrino experiment in Daya Bay, Guangdong Province, was recognized by "Science" magazine as one of the year’s top ten scientific breakthroughs. Continued constructive engagement in science and technology presents immense opportunities for both nations.
To enhance cooperation, it is advisable for China and the US to establish a new dialogue framework and joint working groups focused on scientific and technological collaboration.
By acknowledging each other's reasonable concerns while prioritizing future-oriented areas of cooperation in global technologies, both countries can strengthen their positions and contribute positively to the world.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
