China wanted western tech. Now, the tables have turned. With John Minnich

中国渴望西方技术。如今,形势逆转。随着约翰·明尼克

The Economics Show

2026-06-19

42 分钟
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单集简介 ...

For decades, China accelerated its industrial development through a straightforward bargain: foreign firms invested in China, often through joint ventures, gaining access to the enormous Chinese market, while Chinese companies absorbed western tech and knowhow. Today, that dynamic is changing. China's high-tech industries are now world-leading, and western governments are looking on enviously. So should the US and EU now take a page from China's playbook? Host Soumaya Keynes speaks to John Minnich, assistant professor of international relations at LSE, about the history of Chinese tech transfer, how it drove industrial sophistication and whether the west could — or should — attempt something similar. Subscribe to Soumaya's show on Apple, Spotify, Pocket Casts or wherever you listen. Further Reading How China pulled off a great tech reversal EU to include UK and Japan in ‘Made in Europe’ plans John Minnich: Divide and Conquer: Industry Market Structure, Inter-Firm Rivalry, and Bargaining over Technology Presented by Soumaya Keynes. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. Original music and sound design by Breen Turner. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • China has moved up the value chain.

  • Its companies aren't supplying basic components anymore.

  • They are global brands in their own right.

  • And Western officials are looking on anxiously as Chinese batteries, cars and drones become increasingly sophisticated.

  • Now, Western policymakers are asking the same question their Chinese counterparts were asking years ago.

  • We'd like to beat them.

  • Should we be joining them?

  • This is The Economics Show with Samaya Keynes.

  • I'm the author of a new book, How to Win a Trade War with Chad Bowne.

  • And in this episode, I wanted to make a sort of spin-off show, going deeper into one of the topics

  • that we covered and also speaking to one of the researchers whose expertise we drew on.

  • So today I am delighted to be speaking to John Minick, assistant professor at the London School of Economics,

  • whose super interesting research looks at the history of technology transferred

  • to China and how other countries might learn from that model today.

  • John, hello!

  • Great to be here.

  • Thank you for having me.

  • Okay, so on a scale of one to ten...

  • How strongly would you recommend to Western governments

  • that they respond to concerns about Chinese competition by persuading them to hand over their tech?