China’s AI Strategy and Rare Earth Dominance
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| Pages: | 31 : 43 |
| Abstract: | This article investigates China’s strategic positioning in the emerging global order by analysing the interdependence between artificial intelligence (AI), advanced semiconductors, and rare earth elements as core determinants of technological power. The main research objective is to assess how China integrates these domains to enhance its structural influence, and how this strategy compares with the United States and the European Union. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, comparative analysis based on academic literature, policy reports, and empirical data. It combines elements of international political economy and technology governance, distinguishing between verifiable developments and forward-looking assessments. The analysis focuses on supply chains, industrial policy, and technological ecosystems, with particular attention to advanced semiconductor capabilities and resource control. The findings indicate that global power is increasingly shaped by control over interconnected technological systems rather than isolated capabilities. The United States maintains leadership in AI through its dominance in chip design and software ecosystems, but remains vulnerable due to reliance on external manufacturing. China, despite constraints in cutting-edge semiconductor production, demonstrates a capacity for systemic adaptation through state coordination, domestic market scale, and strategic control of rare earth supply chains. The European Union holds critical assets, but faces structural limitations in scaling innovation and achieving strategic autonomy. Overall, the article concludes that competition in the international system is shifting toward control over the “invisible infrastructures of power,” including semiconductors, data, algorithms, and critical materials, redefining the nature of global economic and geopolitical rivalry. |
| JEL classification: | F02, O32, O33, O38 |
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F02, O32, O33, O38
