Ready to lead

With what looks like a healthy combination of strategically planned research, innovative technology & government subsidies, China's BYD Auto pulled it off -- the first plug-in hybrid.

China is well known as an amazing follower with its unrivaled production & consumption capacities on one hand and cheap & committed labor on the other. Now, the China-watchers have something else to talk about -- China, the follower, who is ready to lead.

China's rapid mass-urbanization has challenged the country to create sustainable solutions to control the demands placed on its natural resources by today's technologies. The country is aiming high [higher than the US] in terms of fuel efficiency standards and renewable energy usage levels. The result is that China has not only produced inexpensive plug-in hybrids with indigenous talent, but has also built ultra-efficient power-plants that reuse "wasted heat", by collaborating with Western multinationals.

It's green tech initiatives such as these, that's gotten folks wondering how one could compete with China. In today's globalized world, China masquerades as many a character -- valuable customer to the multinationals that want access to its market, low-cost supplier to firms that want to reduce production costs, collaborator & competitor to those innovating the next big thing. Needless to say, seldom does one country gets to play these roles, at the same time. While there's plenty to be said about the synergies that exist and those that can be leveraged, I'll conclude this post with one thought -- this follower is ready to lead.