Meeting the China Challenge: A New American Strategy for Technology Competition

Summary of Policy Recommendations

This report challenges the conventional wisdom about how best to manage the science and technology contest between the United States and China. The United States is in a much stronger leadership position than many in the policy community assume, but requires new policies to uphold American security and enhance American strengths.

To protect against the risks posed by China and safeguard U.S. security and competitiveness, the United States must embrace three complementary policy goals:

1. Bolster U.S. innovation capabilities through measures ranging from increased funding for fundamental research to selective upgrading of our production system.
2. Tailor targeted risk management measures to address current and future security threats.
3. Preserve as many of the benefits of an open, ethical, and integrated global knowledge system and innovation economy as possible.

These three policy goals are complementary to each other —the successful realization of one depends on the implementation of the other two. Preserving openness depends on improving risk management. Risk management is feasible only if it addresses functions within a strong, adequately resourced domestic innovation system. And strengthening the U.S. innovation system will be easier if we preserve an open, interdependent global system of S&T innovation.

The policy recommendations presented in this report are most likely to succeed if they are designed and implemented collaboratively with like-minded countries. The four cases in this report—fundamental research, AI, 5G, and biotechnology—contain detailed policy recommendations. Here we present 16 policy recommendations that unify all four fields, organized under the three goals that guide our analysis.

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