The Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics) has raised the alarm that China has an increasingly sprawling set of tools to stop technology flowing out of its borders, as the country moves from a follower to a global innovation leader.
Although not yet extensively deployed, these measures – including export controls on civilian, not just military, technology – could be used by Beijing to prevent strategic knowhow leaving the country, including the results of joint research collaborations.