CIA chief says China’s rise driven by technology replication

The director of the CIA said China’s economic and technological rise is driven by the replication of foreign innovations supported by state subsidies, warning that Washington must prevent Beijing from gaining a decisive technological edge.

Speaking on the sidelines of a defence and innovation summit in Pennsylvania, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said China’s development model relies heavily on acquiring and scaling external technologies.

“The Chinese steal the technology and replicate it, the state subsidises it, and that's their model of success. They are very good at it,” he said.

Ratcliffe cautioned that any technological lead by China would present a serious challenge to the United States.

“If China gains a technological advantage over us, it will be a real problem. We cannot allow that,” he said.

He added that China is competing with the United States “in all areas,” while suggesting that Russia’s competitive positioning is less clearly defined. Ratcliffe also said Russia’s economy is comparable in scale to that of the U.S. state of Texas.

By Tamilla Hasanova