Military Modernization in Chinese Technical Progress and Industrial Innovation
This paper assesses the impact of military-related programs on Chinese technical progress since 1980. We argue that efforts to modernize weapons production and integrate the civilian and military sectors of the economy have increased China’s innovation potential and led to an improvement in the country’s overall technological capabilities. Although it is still too early to draw sweeping conclusions, China appears to be following a road taken by other great powers before it, where the pursuit of modern defense systems stimulates the development of advanced technologies.
