China Hasn’t Destroyed the Tech Sector. It’s Sharpened It
Beijing's crackdown has reshaped its innovation ambitions.
A clear vision for tech self-sufficiency.
Photographer: STR/AFP/Getty Images
To most Western observers, it would appear that China has driven its technology industry off a cliff.
The number of startups founded in the country fell by 50,000 between the peak in 2018 and 2023, with this year on track to be even lower. The market capitalizations of the biggest tech companies, including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd., have shrunk to the tune of hundreds of billions, and pale in comparison to US peers. There is no sign that the sector will ever rebound to what it was before a government crackdown that kicked off in late 2020, even as policymakers have signaled it’s over. Becoming a billionaire entrepreneur has become something to be feared, rather than celebrated.