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Xi Jinping once said that China should “prioritize innovation” and be “state-of-the-art, modern engineering and disruptive technology.”
Since that speech in 2017, Beijing has talked about technologies he wants to hone his skills in, from artificial intelligence to his 5G tech and semiconductors.
Five years after Xi’s speech at the last National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the global reality of the world’s second-largest economy has changed.
It comes amid the ongoing trade war with the US, challenges from Covid, and a shift in domestic policy direction that undermines some of Beijing’s goals.
Charles Mok, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Global Digital Policy Incubator, said:
The 20th National Congress, held every five years, kicks off in Beijing on Sunday. This high-level meeting is expected to pave the way for Xi to best serve his unprecedented third term as Communist Party leader, his five-year term. President Xi plans to appreciate China’s achievements in science and technology, which have yielded mixed results.
He said China sets “high” goals because it aspires to be the best, but that “there are political and ideological limitations when it comes to strategies to achieve them. There are,” he said.
Private tech companies are struggling under tighter regulations and a slowing economy. China has been hampered by its self-sufficiency in semiconductors, a task made more difficult by recent US export restrictions. Censorship was also tightened on the mainland. But China has made notable progress in 5G and space equivalents.