China, a technological champion or a frustrated giant?

Is China the leader of global innovation, and thus the main technological competition for Western economies? The reality is more ambiguous. Chinese authorities in fact consider the country to be falling behind and, in 2015, implemented the Made in China 2025 plan to remedy this. The plan’s success is uncertain, due both to the ambiguity of the links between public policies and private dynamics and to the absence of reforms favoring innovation and improvements in productivity.