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Several years ago, on a trip to London, I visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich where the prime meridian is located, the geographical reference line that divides east and west. At zero longitude, it marks the point where Greenwich Mean Time begins.
During my visit I had an experience, perhaps more a realization, that made me think differently about America and its future.
I briefly straddled the dividing line between east and west, as many visitors do, hoping someone would come and offer to take my picture. Suddenly, a large group of Chinese teenagers, probably students, invaded the area. Inadvertently, I have to believe, they pushed me sideways back west a couple of feet to my home thousands of miles away in Alaska.
I immediately felt something palpable. They were young, full of energy and enthusiasm. I was older and tired from the previous day’s long tour. Their cameras snapped quickly like firecrackers and looked more technological than mine. At the specific point where a measurement of time begins, they seemed to fully embody the future. I felt like the past.
That journey prompted me to take a deeper look at where America, as a global power, stands in relation to China. It unearthed some disturbing thoughts. Are we lagging behind China in education, particularly in the science and high-tech industries? Don’t we depend on China for computers and telecommunications, life science technologies, electronics, computer-integrated manufacturing, aerospace, optical electronics, and biotechnology?
How do we compare with China in robotics and artificial intelligence?
Here’s a revelation: About 80% of the supply of pharmaceutical drugs in the Americas comes from China. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, China dominated the market for manufacturing personal protective equipment, or PPE.
Our economic interdependence with China has ensured some stability between the two economic powers. The situation reminds me of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov’s book series, The Foundation, in which peace between galactic neighbors is maintained through economic interdependence.
But China has announced it wants to become fully self-sufficient by 2025-2030. What was once an economic partner will quickly become a global rival, both economically and militarily. Some say another cold war is imminent.
Decisive action: The US Senate recently passed the so-called Innovation and Competition Act which allocates $ 200 billion for scientific and technological innovation over the next five years. He sent the legislation to the United States House.
It is a good step that is sure to move forward. It matches an infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden originally proposed and which, according to polls, was supported by more than 70 percent of Americans. It would have included a greater emphasis on green technologies and education. But after endless partisan bickering, Bidens’ legislation was reduced by the Senate to a skeleton of its original content, emphasizing elements of the physical infrastructure such as bridges, roads, airports, etc. In my mind, this is a rather outdated 20th century view of infrastructure.
We can take targeted, strategic, quasi-surgical measures to maintain our leadership role in the world. But what the Biden administration originally proposed is what the country desperately needs: a major global program that not only rebuilds our country’s physical infrastructure, but also addresses the root causes of the problems that aggravate America’s poverty. crime, inequality in education, underemployment, systemic racism.
Yes, the price is high. But what is the price of becoming submissive to a country like China?
We live in the west, but we need to look boldly towards the east, where the sun rises, from a position of strength. It occurred to me that day as I was being pushed off the prime meridian by an exuberant group of young Chinese students.
Always from Alaska, Frank E. Baker is a freelance writer living in Eagle River.
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