The Facts

  • On Thursday, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published its Critical Technology Tracker report, which found that China leads the world in 37 out of 44 critical technologies, with Western democracies losing the race for breakthroughs.

  • The study points out that China's impressive lead in sectors such as biotechnology, defense, energy, and space comes as a result of "deliberate design and long-term policy planning."


The Spin

Anti-China narrative

This study unveils the urgency needed from democratic nations engaging in technological cooperation to prevent China from gaining overwhelming control over the global supply of certain key technologies, shifting global power to an authoritarian state. Catching up to China is a matter of Western survival and self-defense.

Pro-China narrative

Under the guise of highlighting China's scientific development, the goal of this report is clearly to disseminate anti-China propaganda and promote a Cold War mentality among Western countries. Infamously known for its malicious content disguised as academic study, the US-funded ASPI is the real threat to the multipolar world.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that China will surpass the US economically, militarily, and scientifically by January 2124, according to the Metaculus prediction community.



Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO