Preparing for war with Uncle Sam

How will Korea and China’s technological level change in 2029?

HAN WOO-DUKThe author is a senior reporter of the China Lab. It was as expected. The outcome of the meeting, which was released in the form of a press release, merely summarizes the existing “Chinese-style modernization” plan. This is from the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held last week. Some might think the plan contains nothing new.

That’s how it is. The third plenum is a meeting to present the direction of economic reform rather than specific policies. It is up to us to read the “calculation for the future” hidden in the press release. We need to pay attention to two points.

The first is a strategy to synchronize “high-quality development” and national security. High-quality development is the core of the “Chinese-style modernization” fervently championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The nature of the industry will change to high-tech, high-value-added industries through digital and smart technology. Economic development is now connected to national security. China will make industrial plans at the national security level and protect economic security with its own supply chains. That’s a move with an economic war with the United States in mind.

The second is a strategy to build “high-quality human capital.” The press release states that “education, science and technology and human resources are the foundation and mainstay of Chinese-style modernization.” It emphasizes that the government will use all means to educate and train manpower in science and technology. China will pursue education reform to build a system to nurture innovative people.

In other words, China will “pursue advancement of the industry to protect the nation from economic pressure of the U.S. and focus primarily on producing talents in science and technology.” For the Chinese, nurturing talented people is the way to prepare for war. As soon as the third plenary session ended, the Chinese state media are churning out ways to reform education in the S&T sector.

China’s scientific and technological research is already considered one of the best in the world. Nature Index, which measures academic authority, shows that China is ranked at the top in scientific research for the first time this year, ahead of the United States. Seven of the world’s top 10 research institutes, including universities, are Chinese. But China says it is still not enough.

The press release affirmed that all reforms will be completed by 2029. In the next five years, China will focus on nurturing scientific and technological talents as if it is fighting a war.

It makes us to look back on Korea’s situation. Excellent high school students are flocking to medical schools, and universities fail to produce necessary industrial manpower due to departments’s self-interests. The semiconductor and display fields agonize over a critical shortage of manpower.

How will Korea and China’s technological level change in 2029? I am deeply worried after reading the press release of the third plenum of the CPC.