China plots pathway to tech supremacy through brain-computer interfaces
Beijing unveils multi-year innovation road map that puts neuroscience at the centre of US-China rivalry
China has unveiled a road map to achieve critical technological advances by 2027, with brain-computer interfaces (BCI) playing a pivotal role in the nation’s tech rivalry with the United States.
Seven ministries, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, jointly released a policy blueprint on Thursday providing innovation and implementation guidelines for China’s BCI industry.
The document mandates that breakthroughs in key technologies – such as electrodes, chips and integrated products – reach advanced international standards by 2027.
China aims to position itself among the top global BCI innovators by 2030 and cultivate two to three global industry leaders in the field. The policy frames BCI – a frontier technology merging life sciences and information science – as a critical battlefield in the US-China tech rivalry.
Chinese research teams have already established various technical approaches across non-invasive, semi-invasive and invasive BCI categories.