The writer is a fellow at the John L Thornton China Center at Brookings and writes the High Capacity newsletter
We are witnessing a great reversal in global technology flows. For decades, China lagged behind the west. American and European companies sold products to Chinese consumers and set up factories in the country, lured by its vast market and low labour costs. Apple and Tesla built mega-factories in cities like Zhengzhou and Shanghai. GM and Volkswagen established lucrative joint ventures with Chinese automakers.
But the diffusion of technology between China and the west is increasingly a two-way street. Across a growing array of products — electric vehicles, batteries, drones, rare earth magnets — it is now China that stands at the global frontier.