China remains dependent on the EU for strategic technologies like semiconductors, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals, despite its 15th Five-Year Plan prioritizing self-reliance. Experts are skeptical of Europe's leverage, noting China's rare earths monopoly as a powerful counter-threat.
India is developing indigenous laser weapons under Project Sudarshan Chakra to counter drone and missile threats from Pakistan and China. These directed-energy systems offer a cost-effective and sustainable solution for air defense, complementing existing missile and gun systems.
Bouygues CEO Olivier Roussat urges Europe to develop greater technological independence, particularly in AI and satellite connectivity, warning against over-reliance on US infrastructure like Starlink.
China and the United States are taking divergent paths to developing artificial intelligence (AI), putting their technology ecosystems increasingly at odds. This divergence was on show on April 24 when start-up DeepSeek launched its next-generation V4 AI models that were optimised for use with the Ascend chips and associated software tools of tech giant Huawei Technologies. China has for years been pursuing technological self-reliance, a policy reiterated by the Communist Party’s Politburo at...
China's Politburo concluded a meeting on Tuesday pledging a holistic approach to external shocks and energy security, while emphasizing technological self-reliance and control over industrial supply chains. The leadership vowed to push forward with new water, power and computing infrastructure projects, noting the economy has started strongly this year with key indicators better than expected, though challenges remain.
