Great article Alex! I have a DJI drone and it is a marvel of engineering. The future may be as you predict. Something else to consider...

Silicon Valley isn't non-China. There are many Chinese who have worked there for decades. The U.S. remains a melting pot, a nation of mutts and ambitious foreigners. So I don't see it as China vs the U.S. as much as China vs the "Wild West".

Can a nation with an authoritarian government create products that are truly in tune with people's lives? Maybe. Can they market them? Not so sure.

When I was young Russia had its 5-year-plans. They too believed their one-party system could foster innovation. It didn't happen there or in East Germany.

I wish the best for any Chinese company to be successful and innovate new products, as DJI has done. But if you work in software you see what I see. It doesn't matter how many powerful computers and classes you give people, creativity comes from iconoclasts or very independent thinkers. You force them in 10 hours of school a day and they lose that spark.

One can argue that technological creativity has nothing to do with cultural freedom. One could, but I wouldn't ;) The messy stuff matters.

If China creates laws that allow for immigration and property rights of foreigners--then sky's the limit! Until then, most creatives prefer to live in the West. We could give China all current IP but would it make a difference? The new stuff is being developed here. You mention developments in phones. To me that's a mature non-growth industry. Same with FB.