The China Thread

[HVC]

Sheilbh's link was about planes, so that's what I assumed the focus was on.

[crazy canuck]

China can assemble anything cheaply.  Why is it more ominous that they can assemble solar panels cheaply than that they can cheaply assemble socks and plastic toys?

Energy production drives everything in a world where everything needs energy

[grumbler]

Being a "technology leader" in a field implies that the actual technology is better, not just that you produce a lot of it. I can see the claim that experience gives China the edge in High-speed Rail, but have seen nothing to indicate that Chinese solar panels are technologically more advanced than, say French ones.

The claim about graphene puzzles me. The UK has always led research in that field, followed closely by the US. The most advanced graphene production facilities are in New York state. The company producing the largest amount of graphene (for iPhones and iPads) is in Taiwan.

I'm taking that chart with a boulder of salt.

[Josquius]

Define "Better" though.
Is it 1 vs. 1 product A is better than product B?
Or is it product B does much the same thing as product A but is half the price so more people buy it?

With solar in particular China is absolutely the leader. Not so much because the end product is better but they're so much cheaper and just as good.

[The Minsky Moment]

Being a "technology leader" in a field implies that the actual technology is better, not just that you produce a lot of it. I can see the claim that experience gives China the edge in High-speed Rail, but have seen nothing to indicate that Chinese solar panels are technologically more advanced than, say French ones.

The chart says "leadership position in five key technologies" which I read as somewhat different from "technology leader."  I.e. it isn't claiming that China has better solar module tech than Europe or USA. Rather it is saying that solar panels are a key technology and that China has leadership position in solar panels because the make and sell so many of them.

I agree it is confusing and somewhat misleading. It's just conveying that China has substantial manufacturing in those areas, not that they have superior or cutting tech, but it could easily be read as implying the latter.