What Slowdown? Xi Says China Must Win the Global Tech Race.

Throughout China’s annual legislative meeting, the national leader Xi Jinping made clear that he wants nothing to hold back his plans for China to march past its rivals by becoming a technological superpower.Not the economic slowdown or heavy local government debt, nor a trade war with the United States.The meeting in Beijing, called the National People’s Congress, was once a stage for Communist Party leaders to make a show of public consultation.

Congress delegates, although handpicked by the party, sometimes chided officials over problems like pollution.There were even rare flashes of discord among senior officials.Mr.

Xi, though, has turned the meeting into a meticulously orchestrated, weeklong salute to himself and his vision.This time, he urged China to forge ahead in advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and new weapons.“Xi has seen how decades of investment into science by the U.S.

government after World War II was a knockout success for the United States, and wants to replicate that,” said Jimmy Goodrich, who studies China’s science policies as a senior adviser at RAND, an organization that provides analysis to the U.S.government and other clients.“He believes strongly that only by being more self-sufficient and a global leader in science can China achieve success in upgrading its economy, boosting its military capabilities and achieving world-leader status,” Mr.

Goodrich said.Mr.Xi’s implicit message is that other efforts, such as restoring the confidence of China’s private entrepreneurs, must align with that bigger national goal.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....