This is conquering the key technologies of the future

The tension held by the US and China for more than five years is due to a very evident purpose: these two countries are disputing world supremacy. It is no secret. In fact, the government led by Joe Biden Openly recognized In the document that collects your National Security Strategy October 2022 that China has the necessary capacity and resources to dispute the US Its world leadership position.

The following literal extract of this document reflects very clearly why the US government considers China a threat: “The People’s Republic of China (RPC) is the only competitor that has both the intention of remodeling international order and every time, every time Moreover, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological capacity to do so.

The social, economic, military and technological development that the country led by Xi Jinping has experienced during the last two decades supports this conclusion. In fact, China is currently a world leader in five key technologies from a strategic point of view because of the relevance they already have, and, above all, due to what they will have in the future. And in other bids increasingly high. Even so, there is an area in which this gigantic Asian country still seems to be far from reaching a domain position: The semiconductors.

These are the five strategic technologies in which China has already managed to lead

One of the objectives of SANCTIONS TO CHINA that the US and its allies have deployed during the last two and a half years is to stop the development of the Chinese semiconductor industry. And to achieve this, the US governments, the Netherlands and Japan have banned their manufacturers of lithography equipment, among which are ASML, Tokyo Electron either Apply materialssell your most advanced machines to your Chinese customers.

Chinese lithography equipment manufacturers have the support of the XI Jinping administration to develop machines from extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) as soon as possible, but due to its complexity with all probability They will not be ready before five years. In addition, most semiconductor experts, including Chinese technicians, defends that China is Between 5 and 10 years more backward than the West in the development of photolithographic equipment.

The country of Xi Jinping, as we have just seen, does not lead in chips. However, as we can verify in the graph that we publish under these lines, it is the world leader in non -manned aerial vehicles, solar panels, graphene, high -speed trains, electric vehicles and lithium batteries. This graph has been prepared by JOSTEIN HAUGEwhich is professor of economics at the University of Cambridge (England), taking as reference the data collected by Bloomberg Intelligence and Bloomberg Economics.

This leadership position in these areas is the result of the “Made in China 2025” plan announced by XI Jinping himself in 2015. His starting point in some of these technologies, such as solar panels or practical graphene applications, was very solid a decade ago, but still there is no doubt that this strategy has been a success. And, in addition, it will remain in force to allow China to fight from you with other great powers for leadership in semiconductors, Quantum computers, artificial intelligence either Robotsamong other technologies that have enormous strategic relevance.

China’s domain is indisputable

The “Made in China 2025” plan has a very clear purpose: cease to be the world’s factory and consolidate as THE MOST SUPPLIER OF SERVICES AND PRODUCTS high value of the planet. As we have just seen, the country led by Xi Jinping has failed to lead in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, robots, commercial aviation or medicines, among other areas, but its domain of the market of solar panels is overwhelming.

China’s quota in the world photovoltaic cell market Broken 80%and for the moment only India seems to have the ability to disturb him in the long term. Its manufacturing capacity is 17 times greater than the rest of the planet togetherwhich has encouraged the Chinese administration to support the manufacture of More than 1,000 GW in N -type cell capacity As the other countries fulfill their net emission commitments. Of course, a good part of Chinese solar panel manufacturers is selling to losses with the purpose of growing as much and as fast as possible.

We are now with unmanned aerial vehicles. China controls 90% of the world market of consumer drones and professionals thanks to the success that in recent years are having manufacturers such as DJI (Dà-Jiāng-Innovations), FIMI or Autel Robotics, among others. The domain of this country of the markets of drones and solar panels is the result of a recipe in which the support of the Chinese government, the continuous improvement of the technologies involved in the product and Extremely competitive prices.

In the graphene market, the same thing happens essentially as in the two we have just explored. China produces 60% of the world graphite Because it has the largest natural reserves of the planet, and graphene is manufactured from this raw material. In addition, the government considers it a strategic materialwhich has led him to support from an economic point of view The investigation To develop applications for electronics, medicine and energy industries, as well as advanced materials. And, once again, large -scale production allows China to manufacture graphene with a very competitive price capable of expelling a good part of the competition from the market. These ingredients allow the country led by Xi Jinping control 83% of the market Asian and Pacific

The next industry in which we are worth it is that of high -speed trains. China leads it with a routundity thanks to a network of 48,000 kilometers that, according to the forecasts of the Chinese government, will reach the 60,000 km of high -speed roads at 2030. The next country in this classification is Spain, which currently has More than 3,700 km of high -speed roads. The Chinese domain has been based once again on a very rapid technological development that has been caused by the large investments that the administration is making. China State Railway Group has announced that it will invest in 2025 More than 76,000 million euros in the tuning of new high -speed roads.

We cannot conclude this article without investigating the electric car market and the lithium batteries industry. China is currently the largest market of electric vehicles in the world. In 2025 in this country more electric cars will be sold for the first time than with combustion engine thanks to some extent to government subsidies.

In addition, China is the largest electric car exporter on the planet. In 2023 he exported approximately 1.7 million electric vehicleswhat represents More than 30% of its total exports of cars. However, its international expansion is being seriously conditioned by the tariffs that are imposing USA or the European Union, among other regions with very serious difficulties to compete with the Chinese electric car.

Finally, China is also a world leader in The production of lithium batteries. If we stick to electric cars the country led by Xi Jinping Fabrica 57% of batteries that these vehicles use. Catl and Byd are the largest lithium batteries manufacturers on the planet with A market share in 2023 34% and 16% respectively.

China has reached this leadership position due to several factors. On the one hand it is The largest producer in the world of lithium and rare earths, which are the main raw materials used in the manufacture of batteries. In addition, it controls the processing of these materials and is capable of produce large -scale batteries and with a very competitive price. There is currently no indicator that invites us to anticipate that your mastery of lithium batteries will be threatened in the medium term.

Image | Pixabay

More information | JOSTEIN HAUGE

In Xataka | Historic record for China: its chips industry has produced in 2024 more than ever despite the sanctions