C3S Occasional Paper 2/26 - Innovation Without Alliances? Lessons From India And China’s Strategic Technology Partnership Models: By Inas Fathima
- Chennai Centre for China Studies
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Image Courtesy: Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB)
Abstract
Technological innovation has become a pivotal driver of national power, economic resilience, and strategic influence in the contemporary international system. In an era where advanced and emerging technologies—ranging from artificial intelligence and semiconductors to telecommunications and defense systems—are tightly interwoven with national security imperatives, states confront a profound strategic dilemma: whether it is feasible to achieve sustained innovation through technological self-reliance, or whether international alliances and partnerships remain indispensable to progress. The question of balancing autonomy with collaboration has emerged as a defining feature of 21st-century innovation strategies, particularly among emerging powers that aspire to reshape global technological and economic order.
India and China, as two leading emerging economies, offer a valuable comparative lens for understanding the strategic calculus of technology partnerships. Despite similar developmental ambitions, they pursue distinct innovation models shaped by their political and economic systems. China adopts a state-led approach with centralized policy coordination and strategically managed international collaborations to strengthen domestic technological capabilities. In contrast, India follows a market-driven model that emphasizes private sector participation, global partnerships, and international collaboration to foster innovation and technological growth. These contrasting approaches highlight how different partnership strategies shape innovation outcomes and technological self-reliance.
This study conducts a systematic comparative analysis of India and China’s strategic technology partnership models by examining policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, and sector-specific experiences in critical domains such as artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, telecommunications infrastructure, and defense technologies.
The analysis explores how each country manages the trade-offs between technological self-reliance and international collaboration, how governance structures shape the effectiveness of partnerships, and how sectoral strategies influence long-term innovation trajectories
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Inas Fathima is a student of a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) at Sree Ramakrishna College for Women, Coimbatore.
