We urgently need to treat China’s innovation model the way we now treat Artificial Intelligence: as a reality that can no longer be reversed. Understanding this is not about copying China. It is about recognizing that the rulebook has been rewritten. It is about having the courage to question our own assumptions and, perhaps, to design our own Fosbury Flop.

How China will create a knowledge society from industrial innovation

China’s Next Leap - New Quality Productive Forces explained

My first book China’s New Normal (2019) was intended as a wake-up call on how China was starting to set the standard for innovation. We kept sleepwalking until it hit us five years later in the automotive industry. My second book Can We Trust China? (2022) offered a different view on China’s transformation from within into a global superpower. But the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, China’s economic crisis, Xi Jinping’s ideology, and Biden’s tech war gave many the impression th

In July 2025, the world got a glimpse of how differently China thinks about artificial intelligence. At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2025) in Shanghai, Premier Li Qiang took the stage to propose a new global platform for AI governance: inclusive, cooperative, and open to the Global South. He didn’t talk about security threats or competitive advantage. He talked about sharing. AI, he said, should not be the privilege of a few nations or a handful of tech

What if “overcapacity” isn’t China’s flaw - but Europe’s wake-up call? ‘ Overcapacity’ has become a buzzword in trade policy discussions, from US to the EU. In recent months, European leaders have grown increasingly alarmed about what they perceive as a potential tsunami of Chinese products flooding global markets. This is no longer just about China selling high-volume, capital-intensive products like steel or labor-intensive goods textiles. It’s now about China exporting hig

At this year’s Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched television show, Unitree showcased 16 H1 humanoid robots performing a meticulously choreographed Chinese folk dance. These robots didn’t just move—they walked, ran, and jumped on stage with remarkable agility, demonstrating a new level of precision and control in robotics. For global audiences watching the performance on YouTube, it may have seemed like a playful display—perhaps even pre-programmed or remotely controll

As we enter 2025, it’s shaping up to be a pivotal year for global superpowers. The re-election of Donald Trump could either "Make America...