中国科技繁荣背后之乱象和危机

 

中国的智能手机用户可谓傲视全球，而新兴高科技产业入雨后春笋层出不穷。从高铁和手机付账系统到社交媒体和人工智能，中国的科技发展似乎达到了前所未有的鼎盛时期 而无愧于世界科技强国之称号。但在这科技繁荣之背后却危机四伏，许多科技业内人士意识到所谓的科技发达不过是海市蜃楼之幻象。

 

Smartphone users in China put the world at their fingertips, and a flood of start-ups have leaped forward in strides. From high-speed trains and mobile payments to social media and artificial intelligence, China has enjoyed a seemingly unprecedented technology boom, earning its bragging rights as a global technology powerhouse.  However, vulnerabilities and threats lie behind the prosperity, making many industry insiders to realize that the boom has disillusioned them.

中国手机制造商，高科技国企中兴通讯的经历的美国禁令危机就是最好的证明。近期美国向中兴采取一系列制裁措施，除高额罚款之外，还禁止其在7年内向它长期赖以生存的美国制造商购买计算机芯片。这项禁令几乎让中兴一病不起，令其股值大跌，股市资本损失惨重。美国的制裁禁令让这个一项狂妄自大的国企向特朗普政府道歉，乞求其延缓禁令实施，并自愿接受美国当局的现场检查。

It was evident when ZTE, China’s iconic cell phone makers are facing a US ban crisis. A hefty penalty and a 7- year ban from the US prevents it from purchasing computer chips from the country upon which it has heavily relied. The sanctions have nearly crippled the tech giant, plunging its share values and wiping out a significant portion of its market capitalization.  The infamously arrogant state enterprise has been forced to bow in apology to the Trump administration, begging it to suspend the ban and opening itself up to U.S. inspections of its sites.  

虽然中国是手机制造的强大基地，但它只能生产很少一部分的芯片，而这一手机的重要组成部分却很大程度上依赖于国外进口。2012年中国消耗了价值$820亿的芯片，相当于全球芯片的32%，而国内芯片生产值仅为88亿，为全球生产总值的10.8%。2017年，中国芯片消费总值飙升至全球的38%，而国内生产值仅上升到全球的13%。

While China has become an enormous manufacturing base for cellphones, it mostly depends on import for the critical components of the gadgets, producing a small fraction of computer chips. In 2012, China consumed $82 billion, or 32%, of the world’s chips, but only $8.8 billion was produced domestically, representing only 10.8% of the world’s production.  In 2017, while the chip consumption has soared to 38%, its domestic production only increased to 13%.

中兴事件让中国的科技行业击亦猛醒。近年来，中国科技行业可谓误入歧途，急功近利，大量投资那些可快出成果的新兴企业，而忽视需要下苦工钻研，慢见成效的基础科技的开发和研究。

The ZTE incident has created a moment of reckoning for China’s tech industry. Embracing mindsets that could only set it up for failure, in the recent decade, it amply rewards lucrative tech start-ups with quick returns but ignores long-term research efforts and hard work.

在中国政府大力振兴科技的口号鼓舞下，一股“以成效说话”的科技革新浪潮席卷中国科技行业。为达到快出成效的目的，其好大喜功的科技势力打起国外人才，科研及专业技能的主意。

Under Beijing’s grand narrative of national rejuvenation, a wave of quick-results-driven innovation has swept through China’s tech industry. Its penchant for a shortcut to success has led to efforts to exploit foreign talent pool, research efforts, and expertise.

短视企业投资者们盯上了专业能力强但缺乏足够产权保护的加拿大的科研机构，寄希望于通过投资加国科研开发而掠取其研究成果。据《环球邮报》报道，中国电讯巨头华为向加国大学注入大量资金以期发展能带来上百项专利的5G移动网络新技术。

Short-sighted venture capitalists in China set their sights on Canada’s research institutes with strong technical skills but under weak IP protection, hoping to harvest its products through investments into Canadian R&D operation.  According to the Globe, Huawei, China’s telecommunications champion has injected large capitals in Canadian universities to develop 5G mobile technology that can potentially lead to hundreds of patent filings.

但这种手段让中国科技业更依赖于国外技术，甚至会导致自掘坟墓之下场。加国产权律师对此深感不满，抱怨中国盗窃加国专利。而加国和美国的国家安全顾问也纷纷要求特鲁多政府迅速采取措施，防止该行为继续蔓延。加国政府随时有可能加入西方国家阵营而向华为下禁令，切断与华为合作关系并阻止华为产品进入加国市场。西方国家的联合行动将彻底挫败中国独霸全球5G电讯网络之野心。

But such efforts would only fuel its foreign dependence crisis and may backfire. It has irritated Canadian patent lawyers, who complain about China’s stealing of Canadian patent rights. It also has deeply troubled national security experts in both Canada and US who call for the Trudeau government to take immediate actions. Any crackdown or sanction from Canadian government would force Canada to join its Western allies to sever the partnership and shut Huawei’s products from their domestic markets altogether, crushing China’s dream of reshaping the future of global 5G telecommunication network.

在中国技术鼎盛现象的背后危机四伏。正如中国其他行业所面临的种种挑战，阻止中国科技腾飞的重要因素正式那种急功近利，寻求短期效益的心态。

Crisis lurks behind China’s tech boom. An impatient, seeking an instant success mentality is a prime barrier stopping the technology rise of China and preventing other industries in the country from growing.