University of Michigan School of Information
Lindtner: To understand how China innovates is to rethink what innovation means

Monday, 11/13/2023
By Noor HindiChina has transformed itself into a powerhouse of science and technology. Its rise not only reshapes the dynamics of the global tech economy but also raises questions about competition, intellectual property and geopolitical influence in the digital age.
A new PBS documentary, “Inside China’s Tech Boom,” talks about the past, present and future of China’s influence.
University of Michigan School of Information associate professor Silvia Lindtner, an expert in technology, innovation and politics, talks to PBS about China’s domination, its ability to quickly produce and the space it has created for tech giants to workshop ideas.
“To understand how China innovates is to rethink what innovation means,” she says.
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Watch “Inside China’s Tech Boom” on PBS.
Silvia Lindtner has published numerous research items on China’s shifting position in the global political economy of technology production, economic development and science and technology policy. Read her book “Prototype Nation: China and the Contested Promise of Innovation” and visit her UMSI faculty profile to learn more.