1 week Ago By Thilina Walpola
A Quiet Revolution Unfolding Every MinuteAnyone visiting China in the mid-1990s would have encountered a striking image: a nation of bicycles, where private motor vehicles were so rare that they could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That picture is now a distant memory. What has taken place in China over the past few decades is not merely development—it is a transformation of historic proportions, bordering on the cinematic.
Yet, much of this metamorphosis remains obscured in Western media narratives, which often portray China through outdated stereotypes or geopolitical anxieties. The dominant discourse underplays China’s technological momentum, but that silence is becoming increasingly untenable. The noise of progress—from railways and satellites to deep sea research and AI—is now too loud to ignore.
Take, for instance, the Sky Eye Project, formally known as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST). It is not only the world’s largest and most sensitive single- dish radio telescope but a statement of China’s ambition in the space sciences. Since its operationalization, FAST has identified more than 660 new pulsars, contributed to international Very Long Baseline Interferometry (vlbi) networks, and continues to search for interstellar signals.
In terms of both science and symbolism, FAST marks China's entry into the realm of deep-space exploration.Meanwhile, under the sea, Jiaolong, China’s manned submersible, has already reached depths of over 7,000 meters. China may very soon match the capabilities of the DSV Limiting Factor, which descended 10,925 meters into the Mariana Trench.
In both space and sea, China is pushing the limits of what was once thought possible.And what about what happens every minute in today’s China? Consider the following:· The “Fuxing” bullet train travels 5,833 meters.· China adds 12.
7 hectares of forest or grassland.· The Beidou satellite navigation system is accessed over 70 million times by users in more than 200 countries.· 287,700 new mobile payment transactions are initiated, exceeding 1 billion yuan in value.
· 32,000 new bike-sharing rides are completed.· 481 meters of rural highways and roads are built or renovated.· The China- Europe freight train moves 3 TEUs of cargo.
· China’s trade with Belt and Road countries reaches 25.3 million yuan.These are not mere statistics.
They are indicators of velocity—of a society operating at a scale and tempo that demands global attention.Beyond these feats, China’s advance in frontier technologies is even more striking:· Artificial Intelligence (AI): In 2024, China produced 15 major AI models—second only to the U.S.
More tellingly, firms like DeepSeek AI have demonstrated that technological excellence can thrive even under geopolitical pressure and resource constraints.Driverless cars· Biotechnology: Driven by strategic investment and foreign partnerships, China’s biotech sector is rapidly advancing, prompting concern and policy recalibration in the West. The goal is not mere parity but leadership in pharmaceuticals, genetics, and biomanufacturing.
China Then – bicycles· Quantum Technologies: With long-term state investment, China is making breakthroughs in quantum communication and sensing—fields that will likely define the next era of cybersecurity and national defense.· Electric Vehicles and Batteries: China is not catching up—it is leading. From supply chains to innovation hubs, the electric vehicle (EV) sector is one of China’s most notable industrial achievements.
· Semiconductors: This remains a strategic vulnerability, yet China is moving aggressively to build domestic capability. Export restrictions have, ironically, become a catalyst for internal innovation.· Research and Development (R&D): In 2024, China invested over 3.
6 trillion yuan (approximately USD 500 billion) in R&D—a year-on-year increase of 8.3%. That scale of investment, backed by national planning, signals enduring commitment.
Implications for South and Southeast AsiaFor countries like Sri Lanka, this trajectory poses both opportunities and challenges. There is scope to deepen bilateral cooperation—not just through infrastructure and trade but through knowledge exchange, technology partnerships, and educational reform.At the same time, it is a call to introspection.
Our policy frameworks, innovation ecosystems, and data infrastructures must evolve to keep pace. The story of China is not one of uncritical admiration—it is a case study in long-term planning, resilience in the face of external pressure, and the pursuit of technological sovereignty.We would do well not to observe passively but to engage actively—with clarity, strategy, and a willingness to rethink our own developmental paradigms.
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