The National Science Foundation and the National Science Board recently released their biennial “Science & Engineering Indicators,” which is a document that describes the state of American technology. There are facts and figures on research and development as well as innovation and engineers, writes The Washington Post. But the biggest conclusion of the report lies outside the country: China has become, or at the very least is on the verge of becoming, a scientific and technical superpower. China aspires to become a world leader, and science and technology constitute the knowledge base for economically advanced societies and military powers. The speed that China realizes these superpowers, however, is breathtaking. A quarter-century ago, China’s economy was small and it barely had a high-tech sector. But since then, China has become the second-largest R&D spender, accounting for 21 percent of the world total of nearly $2 trillion in 2015. There has also been an explosion of technical papers by Chinese teams, and China has dramatically expanded its technical workforce. China still lags in patents, however. And if we lived “in a sane world,” none of this would be alarming. But The Post writes that there is danger in the military because if China makes a breakthrough in crucial technology, the result could be a major shift in the strategic balance and possibly lead to war.
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