As Beijing sees it, the Great Recession was a wake-up call: Don’t be overly reliant on the economic health of the most industrialized Western nations, because even those rich countries can falter. For some time, Beijing’s marquee plan to develop new markets, increase its geo-political clout and counterbalance the risk of relying on the West has been the Silk Road Project and related Digital Silk Road.
However, in recent months, particularly since President Trump turned his attentions toward a trade dispute with China, we have noted a diversification of Beijing’s international outreach and an acceleration of its pace. As part of the China Dream, Beijing envisions the Middle Kingdom becoming a global tech and science heavyweight – a cornerstone of Beijing’s policy that it will pursue regardless of international consternation – and is spending money to realize that objective.