The great wheel: China's Robotaxi revolution

中国创新引领世界

The Intelligence from The Economist

2025-12-02

18 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Once derided as a copycat nation, China is now leading the world in innovation, from driverless cars to pharmaceuticals. Our correspondent explains what others can learn from it. Britain looks abroad for policy ideas, but which country is most like it? And why the capybara is a creature of comfort for our troubled age.    Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. 
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • The Economist.

  • Hello and welcome to The Intelligence from The Economist.

  • I'm your host Rosie Blauer.

  • Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

  • Which country is most similar to Britain in terms of policy, development, population or anything else?

  • I bet you've got a few ideas bubbling up already, and I bet they're mostly wrong.

  • Listen on to find out the answer.

  • And they've been referred to as the chillest animal on earth.

  • At a time when the world is not always a chill place,

  • people have gone mad for capybaras, rodents that are cute, hairy, and apparently very Zen.

  • First up though.

  • Hail a taxi in America and there's a growing chance that it will be driverless.

  • Waymo, which is miles ahead in the country's robo-taxi revolution, recently announced its expansion into five new cities.

  • Next year it will add London to its destinations.

  • But if you're looking for innovation in self-driving cars or many other spheres,

  • you might do better to turn away from the US,

  • because there's another country that's already far out in front.

  • Governments and companies around the world have already been watching what's coming out of China with trepidation,

  • from solar panels and electric vehicles to artificial intelligence models.

  • Rachana Shanbogue is our business affairs editor.