ITIF's 2023 US & China innovation

This report assesses the progress of China's innovation capabilities and strategies in the last decade in comparison to the United States. The report updates an earlier ITIF report, using more recent data and focusing on different kinds of innovation. One kind is catch-up or copying innovation, in which China has performed well. Another is new-to-the-world or frontier innovation, which is one of the most important unknowns in the global economy. Many countries have failed to make the transition from imitator to innovator, and China's ability to fully make this transition will largely define global geopolitical development in the coming decades. If China can surpass the United States in innovation, it would represent a serious economic and geopolitical challenge, particularly because of China's predatory trade and innovation policy practices.