National Competitiveness
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As nations engage in a race for global advantage in innovation, ITIF champions a new policy paradigm that ensures businesses and national economies can compete successfully by spurring public and private investment in foundational areas such as research, skills, and 21st century infrastructure. Our work on competitiveness policy includes analysis of the many factors and policies driving national competitiveness, including improving innovation ecosystems and the technical capacity of high-value-added industries.

Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, and Director, Center for Life Sciences Innovation
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
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Head of Policy, Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
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China Is Rapidly Becoming a Leading Innovator in Advanced Industries

There may be no more important question for the West’s competitive position in advanced industries than whether China is becoming a rival innovator. While the evidence suggests it hasn’t yet taken the overall lead, it has pulled ahead in certain areas, and in many others Chinese firms will likely equal or surpass Western firms within a decade or so.
The Hamilton Index, 2023: China Is Running Away With Strategic Industries

China now dominates the strategically important industries in ITIF’s Hamilton Index, producing more than any other nation in absolute terms and more than all but a few others in relative terms. Its gains are coming at the expense of the United States and other G7 and OECD economies, and time is running short for policymakers to mount an industrial comeback.
More Publications and Events
March 4, 2025|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles
Korea’s Digital Gamble: Will New Tech Rules Hurt Innovation and Help China?
South Korea risks harming its consumers, economy, and relationship with the United States by adopting Europe's flawed digital competition regulations.
February 28, 2025|Blogs
Protectionism Will Hold Back Europe’s Innovation
If the European Commission truly wants innovation-led growth, it should abandon the idea that protection equals prosperity.
February 26, 2025|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles
The EU’s Competitiveness Compass: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?
The European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass rightly identifies Europe’s economic and innovation challenges but proposes misguided solutions.
February 25, 2025|Op-Eds & Contributed Articles
Winning the Innovation Race: Three Key Policies to Secure US Tech Leadership Over China
The techno-economic competition with China is the most important challenge facing the West. The United States must pursue three critical technology policies to compete adequately with China.
February 21, 2025|Blogs
Intermediate Goods: The Hidden Cost of Blanket Tariffs
Imposing blanket tariffs on our allies will only weaken American industries. If Trump wants to bring back U.S. manufacturing, placing targeted tariffs on specific Chinese goods is the way to do it.
February 20, 2025|Blogs
How Can Canada Fight Smart Against the Trump Tariff Threat?
While Trump’s tariffs pose an unprecedented threat to Canada’s economy, they should serve as a wake-up call. Canadian policymakers must seize this moment to enact bold reforms that drive innovation, boost productivity, and strengthen global competitiveness.
February 18, 2025|Reports & Briefings
A Policymaker’s Guide to China’s Technology Security Strategy
The U.S. government must adopt a clear-eyed view of China’s technology security strategy by recognizing China is temporarily lagging in some sectors, rapidly catching up in others, and already leading in many.
February 18, 2025|Blogs
Fact of the Week: A New Study Finds the US Share of Global Manufacturing Will Fall to 11 Percent by 2030
A new study finds the U.S. share of global manufacturing will fall to 11 percent by 2030, while China’s will increase to 45 percent.
February 13, 2025|Blogs
Reevaluating US AI Strategy Against China
Recent developments, including DeepSeek’s notable successes, have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the U.S. export control policy and show how U.S. firms may ultimately pay the price unless the Trump administration takes a new approach.
February 5, 2025|Events
The Decline of the “Anglo-Saxon” System of Capitalism
Watch now for a panel discussion with international experts who discussed why nations operating by the Anglo-Saxon economic playbook must abandon their reliance on purely market-driven capitalism, how they can reverse their recent declines, and what alternative systems policymakers should embrace to meet the demands of a modern, technology-driven global economy.