In just a decade, China asserted its global dominance while India diverted its attention elsewhere

China embarked on a significant journey in 2015 with the announcement of its 10-year initiative, "Made in China 2025." The plan aimed to reduce China's reliance on foreign technology and compete with advanced economies like Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and the United States.

The initiative identified sectors for development, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, robotics, commercial aircraft, drones, high-speed rail, electric vehicles and batteries, advanced ships, and solar panels. One of the most notable sectors where China was already leading was solar panels, producing 80% of the world's supply.

However, China faced challenges in acquiring the most advanced chips from Nvidia and other leading tech companies. This prompted Chinese companies to develop their own AI and high-performance computing chip technologies. Companies like Huawei, Alibaba, Biren Technology, Cambricon, and Baidu have been working diligently to reduce their reliance on foreign technology.

Meanwhile, companies like NVIDIA and AMD from the US have been leading globally in advanced AI and HPC chip technologies. Despite not actively advertising the name "Make in China 2025", China continued to implement the plan. By 2025, China became competitive in all sectors and a global leader in half of them.

The ambition was to ensure China was competitive or leading in all of these industries by 2025. In 2015, China was behind in most sectors, competitive in a couple (high-speed rail, batteries), and a leader in solar panels. Today, China is the world's largest producer, consumer, and exporter of electric cars. It also debuted some of the most advanced military aircraft in the world in January.

China's economy, six times larger than India's, has also made significant strides in other sectors. It produces aircraft carriers, including the largest one deployed in 2022. China now produces and flies commercial aircraft of the type only Boeing and Airbus make, with Chinese-made Comac planes being used by airlines worldwide. One company, DJI, controls a significant chunk of the global market for drones.

The journey, however, has not been without controversy. The initiative offended America and its allies, particularly because China aimed to become a "global leader" in various sectors. Under President Joe Biden, the US banned the sale of high-end computer chips to China, a move intended to harm China's further rise and rupture the economic partnership between the two nations.

America's President felt threatened by China's ambitions, and after Donald Trump took office in 2017, the US slapped tariffs against China, and China's Huawei came under sanctions and restrictions. Despite these challenges, China has shown resilience and is continuing to push the boundaries of technological advancement.

In the realm of semiconductors, Huawei now produces chips that are slightly behind the most advanced being made by Taiwan. However, the company is continually working to close the gap. The future of technology in China remains an exciting prospect to watch unfold.