China and Europe: The evolution of science in the AI era

In 1969, Joseph Needham asked his famous question: why did modern science emerge in Europe rather than in China, despite China’s earlier technological leadership?

For over a millennium, China led in engineering and statecraft while Europe lagged behind. From the late medieval period, Europe’s fragmented states and universities accelerated open inquiry, producing the Scientific Revolution and, eventually, industrial and military dominance. By the nineteenth century the balance of power had shifted, culminating in European expansion into Asia and upheaval in China.

China’s late twentieth-century turnaround was deliberate. Deng Xiaoping reopened universities, sent students abroad, rebuilt research institutions, and tied science directly to industrial policy. Over four decades, research, manufacturing, and state planning were aligned, transforming China from a technology importer into a global leader in electric vehicles, high-speed rail, renewable energy, and advanced AI systems.

Artificial intelligence now brings these long trajectories into focus. Frontier AI is shaped by who controls compute, data, talent, and the industrial machinery needed to turn models into deployed systems. But AI is not only another strategic technology. It is reshaping how science itself is practiced: accelerating experimentation, automating parts of discovery, and changing how knowledge diffuses across institutions and borders.

What does this moment mean for Europe’s position in the years ahead? Join Dr. Djavan De Clercq and Rebecca Arcesati of MERICS for a wide-ranging discussion on technology in China and Europe in the AI era.