Chinese Plenary Paves the Way to New Levels of Technological Advances

The Third Plenary Meeting of the CPC Central Committee is always a much-awaited event as it lays out every five years the policy directions for the period head. It was of special interest this year given the extreme turbulence in the global environment. With the determination of NATO to continue the conflict in Ukraine and the tensions in the Middle East, China intends to remain a force of reason and stability.

The economy in the Asia-Pacific region continues to grow largely thanks to the growth of the Chinese economy, and most of the leaders of the countries of the Asia-Pacific have kept their distance from the various enticements offered by the U.S. to participate in any policy that smacks of “China containment”. The ability of the Chinese government to maintain a level-headed response to this policy has helped them maintain a “neutral” stance toward such geopolitical efforts.

In that respect, the four-day Plenum, which concluded on July 18, provided a perspective for a world in crisis. The basic premise expressed in the communique released after the plenum is that China will open up more for the surrounding world, rather than retreating into some kind of isolation. In fact, the government knows that the majority of nations support the policy of cooperation, as expressed in the Belt and Road Initiative. Nonetheless, it clearly intends to improve the country’s defense capabilities.

But most important is that the final document clearly outlines that the key element in overcoming any economic restrictions being put up by the U.S. and other countries to stymie or slow down China’s development is to maintain a position on the “cutting edge” of technology. The leadership clearly understands that breakthroughs in technology and creating new “disruptive” technologies is the driving force of the economy.

A major discussion was held at the plenum regarding the issue of cultivating “creativity” in their scientific and engineering cadre, as well as in the young people who will be taking their place over the coming decades. With this orientation, China will continue to show successes in cutting edge fields like AI, quantum computing, space exploration, and new energy, including the development of thermonuclear fusion energy, which has already been introduced as a part of the future mix. The commitment has been made to develop the first industrial prototype fusion reactor by 2035, with a target of large-scale commercial production of fusion energy by 2050.

In all these areas, China has expressed a willingness to cooperate with all nations in developing these technologies, including with the United States, which still maintains a policy of non-cooperation in key areas like human space exploration. Having for so long been engaged in “zero-sum competition”, Western political leaders find it difficult to accept the possibility of a win-win solution.