China says it is capable of developing its own cutting-edge technologies, in a veiled warning that sanctions and measures to decouple or de-risk from the country would not work. “No one can put a stranglehold on us for any known technology,” Mr Lou Qinjian, spokesman for the National People’s Congress, told reporters on the eve of the opening of“It’s just a matter of time before we develop it,” he added at the press briefing.
Mr Lou was responding to a local reporter’s question about China’s view on the increasingly intense competition between major countries in high-tech areas such as 5G, semiconductor chips and artificial intelligence. The reporter pointed out that some countries – without naming any – have resorted to moves such as sanctions, de-risking and decoupling to stymie China’s rise as the rivalry hots up. Mr Lou said that while China “would like to work with all countries to advance basic research”, the country is ready to go it alone if necessar