A new five-year strategy from Beijing prioritizes technological autonomy as the trade dispute with the US intensifies.
China has committed to intensifying its pursuit of technological self-sufficiency, amplifying a continuous initiative that has acquired heightened importance due to the growing trade conflict with the United States.
This commitment was announced in an official statement issued by the governing Communist Party on Thursday, following its endorsement of a preliminary version of the nation’s forthcoming five-year development blueprint. The party identified “significant advancements in scientific and technological autonomy and capability” as key goals for the years 2026–2030.
Washington has progressively intensified its limitations on China’s ability to obtain semiconductors and other sophisticated technologies crucial for various industries, such as artificial intelligence, concurrently imposing duties on Chinese products. In January, President Donald Trump supported a $500 billion federal program aimed at ensuring US preeminence in advanced AI systems, which Beijing interprets as part of a wider effort to curb its technological growth.
President Xi Jinping has stated that China intends to attain “preeminence in AI” and bolster the local manufacturing of chips and software as integral to its modernization efforts.
Beijing has responded by restricting exports of rare-earth metals, which are indispensable to US high-tech sectors, in a situation Trump last week explicitly labeled a “trade war.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has characterized Beijing’s approach as an element of a wider aspiration for “an equitable and organized multipolar world,” emphasizing its continuous dedication to “self-assurance and self-reliance.” Furthermore, it has frequently charged Washington with economic coercion.
Trump is anticipated to convene with Xi during the forthcoming APEC summit in South Korea, aiming to finalize what he termed a “fair” trade agreement.