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For Korea, scientific and technological strength has always been a proud capital, as one of the "Asian tigers", Korea has long been in the leading position in many high-tech fields, semiconductors, display panels, electronic products... These used to be Korea's forte.
But just when they were complacent, the once sleeping "Oriental Dragon" suddenly threw off the heavy shackles and struggled to fly, this is what we call China, China's rapid rise has undoubtedly brought unprecedented pressure to the Koreans, what kind of mood will it be when an opponent who was once far behind suddenly catches up, and is even expected to overtake you?
Korea has had mixed reactions to this, and the government is generally relatively enlightened, with President Yoon Seok-yue repeatedly calling for "embracing China's rise with an open mind" and hoping to promote each other in win-win cooperation.
However, the public opinion field is a different scene, and the "threat theory" and "anxiety theory" on China have intensified in major media and on the Internet, and many netizens have shown an unconcealed fear of China's development.
As soon as the report was released, it immediately set off an uproar in Korea, except for a few fields such as semiconductors, Korea has been surpassed by China in most of the frontier areas of science and technology, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the national self-esteem of Koreans, Korea think tank listed a large number of data in the report that embarrassed Korea, the number of 5G users in China has now exceeded Korea 13 times, artificial intelligence innovation strength has ranked first in Asia, and the production and sales of new energy vehicles have far exceeded Korea...
The report is full of criticisms and calls for the government to rebuild Korea's leading position in the high-tech sector, and the government must reformulate its science and technology innovation policy, invest heavily in basic research, and solve the current dilemma of "lack of development and original innovation."
In the face of the uproar in Korea society in the face of China's high-speed catch-up, artillery fire is about to erupt in the field of public opinion, and the two sides are fighting with each other about words; on the one hand, there are so-called "opportunity theorists." They believe that China's development is a rare opportunity for cooperation; some people say: "China, the awakening lion, is burning with infinite energy, and we should dance with it in friendship for mutual benefit and common development."
On the other side are adherents of the "threat theory", who are deeply disturbed by China's rise, and a veteran commentator angrily said: "Historically, a powerful China has always been a threat, and the current situation is undoubtedly a heavy blow to us!"
Some netizens directly compared the public opinion war to "water whistle town fire sea" and "arrow feathers", in addition to the joke, it also revealed a strong sense of crisis, for a time the "China threat theory" gradually became the mainstream in Korea society, all kinds of suspicion, doubts and dissatisfaction with China came one after another, some people said bitterly: "Hey, we were the world's leading scientific and technological power, but now we are being pressed under China, which is really sad and lamentable!"
On the one hand, they realize that China-South Korea economic and trade cooperation is promising, and blind confrontation will undoubtedly cut off bilateral relations, which will affect Korea's exports, but on the other hand, public opinion pressure cannot be ignored.
At this moment, the Yoon Suk-yeol government is in a dilemma, and they have to carefully find a balance between the "threat theory" and the "opportunity theory", sometimes showing hard-line demonstrations, sometimes making soft pleas, and struggling to move on a thin tightrope.
On the issue of technology export control, Korea has joined the ranks of "containing" China in a rather gesture on the one hand, and on the other hand, it has carefully avoided direct sanctions, and on the surface, Korea seems to be moving closer to United States, but the actual action is far less resolute than the United States expects.
This behavior undoubtedly made the United States quite dissatisfied, but the Yoon Seok-yue government was helpless, in the face of interests and reality, they had to make a difficult choice, a government insider said helplessly: "Of course we are aware of the general trend of Sino-US confrontation, but technology export restrictions will also bring great losses to ourselves..."
Although China and South Korea have differences and contradictions, but under the bond of economic interests, the two sides still have to seek a win-win cooperation in the fierce competition.
The current situation does make Korea people worried about the rise of China, but at the same time, it also provides a rare opportunity for cooperation between the two sides, and in the field of semiconductors, China and South Korea are actively exploring all-round cooperation in wafer manufacturing, design, materials and other links.
At the same time, the two sides are also seeking seamless connection between the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain in the field of emerging technologies such as new energy vehicles, striving to occupy a larger share in the global market, and even in the frontier of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G communications, the two sides also have the opportunity to work together to tackle key problems.
In the face of China's rapid development, although Korea people have concerns, they should also judge the situation and seize the rare opportunity for cooperation, after all, in this era of you have me and I have you, any attempt to "stand alone" is unsustainable.
Only by embracing the opponent with an open and inclusive mind and seeking the greatest common divisor in the fierce competition, can the two sides finally achieve a real win-win situation.
In the face of the rise of a powerful China, many Korea people are indeed worried, but instead of always blindly suspicion and confrontation, it is better to actively seek the convergence of interests with China, and only by forging ahead on the road of fair competition and friendly cooperation, inclusiveness and complementary advantages, can the scientific and technological development of South Korea and China finally continue to be stable and far-reaching.
In this contest of scientific and technological strength between China and South Korea, both sides are sparing no effort to show their strength, if Koreans are wary and anxious about China's rise, then Chinese also have a strong sense of confidence and ambition.
For China, the current scientific and technological progress is undoubtedly worthy of pride and pride, as a latecomer can quickly catch up with Korea in many fields, Chinese are inevitably a little complacent, many netizens joked in the comment area, bluntly mocking Koreans "can't keep up with the pace of China's development."
Chinese netizens are also happy to see the fact that Korea has been surpassed, and a long article called "China-South Korea Science and Technology Strength Competition" has been widely circulated on the Internet, listing a large number of data, sharply contrasting the gap between China and South Korea's scientific and technological development, and the words are full of a kind of triumph with a little villain.
"Korea has been pulled down from the altar in many areas and has become a follower of China." Such rhetoric mixed with narrow nationalist sentiment can be seen everywhere on the Chinese Internet, and many people turn a blind eye to the anxiety and insecurity of Korea, and instead deliberately exaggerate and indiscriminately contrast, and blatantly exaggerate the narrative that "China is leading and Korea is lagging behind."
In China, especially among some radical populists, there is indeed a certain kind of narrow-minded nationalist sentiment towards the outside world, who are complacent, arrogant, prejudiced and discriminatory against foreign ethnic groups and countries, and lack basic tolerance.
In their eyes, Korea and other Asian countries are so-called "backwards", while they themselves are "leading" nations in the center of Asia, and other countries should follow China's example and learn from China's development model.
This ultra-nationalist sentiment is prevalent in certain small circles on the Internet, which lack basic respect for foreign ethnicities and cultures, and at every turn compare the rivalry between nations and states, and see China's development as some kind of "superiority" over other countries.
From a higher level, any person of insight will realize that China's scientific and technological development is inseparable from open cooperation with the world, in fact, scientific and technological innovation should never be a closed nationalist movement, but the only way for human civilization to progress.
Only by truly being open, inclusive, and inclusive, can China and South Korea and even the entire human civilization make steady progress on the road of scientific and technological innovation, and the narrow nationalist sentiment of any country is contrary to the concept of scientific development, which will greatly hinder the progress of science and technology and the exchange of human civilizations.
Rational people should see that the essence of scientific and technological development is openness and inclusiveness, and the crystallization of the wisdom of all mankind is needed, and the narrow nationalism of any country is contrary to this essence, which will hinder scientific and technological exchanges, hinder the progress of human civilization, and ultimately damage the fundamental interests of all mankind.
Although China and South Korea have some historical grievances, we should hold hands on the road of scientific and technological innovation, instead of attacking each other like life-and-death.
Only by truly complementing each other's advantages and achieving win-win cooperation can the scientific and technological strength of China and South Korea occupy a larger share of the global market and inject new impetus into the development of science and technology in the Asia-Pacific region and even the world.
In this sense, it is understandable that Koreans have some worries and suspicions about the rise of China's scientific and technological strength, and being caught up and surpassed will inevitably have some blow to the self-esteem of any former leader.
At the same time, Koreans should also be soberly aware that China's development is not a "threat", but a rare opportunity for cooperation, and we should put aside our preconceptions and cherish this opportunity and seek win-win results on the basis of equality and cooperation.
China should also be open and inclusive, truly respect each other's cultural traditions, and resolve differences in competition, instead of abusing the clichés of nationalism and blindly exaggerating the narrative that "China is leading and others are lagging behind", which will undoubtedly exacerbate suspicions and hinder the exchange and development of science and technology.
It is not difficult to find that China's development in recent years can be described as rapid, no matter in which field, our progress has made others feel the danger, for their breaking of the defense is actually expected and reasonable, so in the face of Korea's report, what do you think? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment area.
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Huixin Children's Heart2024-09-26Korean media wrote a 24-page report saying: China, except for the semiconductor field, has caught up with Korea!
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