The Role of Technology Transfers in China s Defense Technological and Industrial Development and the Implications for the United States
Abstract
“The Role of Technology Transfers in China’s Defense Technological and Industrial Development and the Implications for the United States” examines how China acquires and absorbs foreign technology and knowledge to support its defense technological modernization and the potential effects on the US defense acquisition system and industrial base. Key research questions to be addressed are: 1. How has China been able to exploit access to foreign defense and dual-use technologies and how has the Chinese defense acquisition system been able to assimilate these inputs? 2. How successful have Chinese efforts been at absorption as well as the improvement of the acquired foreign technologies with integration of domestic inputs? 3. What role and influence does China’s reliance on foreign technology transfers have on its publicly-stated goal of becoming a world-class defense innovation leader based on indigenous capabilities? 4. How, and to what extent, do recent Chinese defense technological innovations support the ability of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to protect the country’s expanding international interests? 5. What are the implications for the US defense acquisition system and its defense industrial base? The project draws on several academic and policy-related disciplines for its methodological framework. They include business and management studies, and especially the concept of absorptive capacity. A second area of relevant scholarship is comparative international political economy and the study of industrial modernization in East Asian states during the late twentieth century, especially Japan and South Korea, which offer useful comparative insights of China’s contemporary efforts at foreign technology transfers and its effectiveness in promoting economic development. The project will investigate the nature and state of China’s industrial economy for the acquisition and absorption of foreign technologies, especially related to the defense industry. Four case studies will provide detailed explanations of how the Chinese technology transfer approach works. An examination of the impact of China’s technology transfer efforts on the United States and its defense industrial base will focus on three areas: 1) the history and current state of China‒US defense technology ties; 2) Chinese efforts to acquire US defense technology through covert and other extra-legal means; and 3) Efforts by US authorities and the defense industry to counter Chinese attempts to acquire U.S. defense-related technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 03, 2017
- Source ID
- N002441710008
Entities
People
- Tai Ming Cheung
Organizations
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego