The Center for China Analysis’ (CCA) Economy and Technology pillar brings to bear data-driven research to address core concerns regarding China’s macro economy as well as its industrial policy, especially with regard to its rapid technological innovation. Our research considers short, medium, and long-term economic policy goals and examines the metrics which determine policy performance. This includes changes to the Chinese economic model and their impact on long-term economic growth and competitiveness. In doing so, we also monitor the range of domestic and international pressures China’s leaders face in realizing their vision for China’s comprehensive economic modernization, as well as China’s growing regional and global economic position, profile, and role.

Our research also evaluates the sustainability of China’s economic model and tracks the trajectory of China’s integration with — or decoupling from — the established global economic system and digital norms. Taking seriously the stated intentions of CCP officials, we follow China’s efforts to achieve technological “self-reliance” and minimize its dependence on extant high-tech supply chains. Following the statements, campaigns, and policies of China’s local and national officials, we examine the country’s state-backed attempts to lead in critical emerging technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, synthetic biology, the platform economy, and digital commerce. Examining the seismic societal shifts instigated by China’s rapid technological development, this research pillar also considers how new technologies introduce positive, negative, and drastically understudied change in the communities that adopt them.

Retaining expert staff and fellows with extensive experience in economic analysis, as well as in technology industry and policy — and leveraging partnerships with leading academic institutions — the CCA’s Economy and Technology pillar aims to provide nuanced, timely, and comprehensive analysis of China’s economic system and technological development. Xi Jinping’s first decade in office has made his willingness to enact bold changes in the economic and technological realms very clear; at the CCA, we follow how these changes impact the rest of China’s political and social landscape.