China widened its lead over South Korea in critical technologies in recent years, according to an official review by Seoul’s science ministry, as Beijing doubles down on strategic investment in advanced research.
The expanding gap underscores the need for both countries to move beyond zero-sum competition and deepen cooperation in economic and technological development, according to analysts.
Quantifying this trend, the latest technology-level assessment from the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) found that China further outpaced South Korea across 11 priority sectors and 136 core technologies between 2022 and 2024.
The increasingly prominent edge reflects Beijing’s elevation of science and technology to the core of its national development strategy, ramping up investment in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and next-generation energy systems.
Seoul evaluates technological levels every two years by reviewing academic papers and patents in 11 areas, including construction, transport, aviation, national defence and mechanical manufacturing. The latest assessment set the United States’ scientific and technological development level in 2024 as the baseline of 100 per cent.
The European Union stood at 93.8 per cent, ranking second globally. China ranked third at 86.8 per cent, up one place from 2022, overtaking Japan, which slipped to fourth at 86.2 per cent. South Korea trailed at 82.8 per cent, the ministry said last week.
South Korea lagged behind the US by 2.8 years in overall technological capability, compared with China’s 2.1-year gap – leaving Seoul 0.7 years behind its regional rival.
Zhang Huizhi, a professor of Northeast Asian studies at Jilin University, said the widening gap highlights the need for China and South Korea to move beyond competitive mindsets and explore deeper collaboration in emerging technologies, including in the setting of technical standards and regulatory frameworks.
“If the discussion is confined to whose technology is more advanced, the rivalry will only become more pronounced and cast a shadow over bilateral cooperation,” Zhang said. “China has consistently sought higher-level collaboration, but South Korea has yet to fully recognise China’s role in areas such as standards and rule-making.”
She added that, while South Korea has gradually acknowledged China’s technological advances, some policymakers still appear focused on slowing China’s progress – an objective she described as “unrealistic”.
“Once Seoul fully accepts the significance of China’s technological rise, companies on both sides will begin to consider concrete cooperation projects at a practical level,” Zhang said. “That will take time, and much will also depend on whether South Korea can secure sufficient room for technological development from the United States.”
According to the report, in 2024, China surpassed South Korea in rechargeable battery technology – a strategic sector Seoul had led just two years earlier – and moved ahead in next-generation nuclear power and advanced biotechnology, where the two had previously been tied.
China’s research-and-development spending has risen steadily, exceeding 3.9 trillion yuan (US$565 billion) last year. Its R&D intensity – calculated as a country’s total spending on R&D as a percentage of gross domestic product – rose to 2.8 per cent. This surpassed the average among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which promotes policies to improve economic and social well-being worldwide. China is not a member but is considered a “key partner”.
Officials have framed technological self-reliance as critical to economic resilience amid intensifying competition with the US and its allies.
China’s advancements in 136 key technologies outpaced those of South Korea for the first time in 2022. At that point, China was three years behind the US in terms of technological prowess, while South Korea was 3.2 years behind. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
