US vs China

Arguing who is on top.

High-speed train. China has about 60% of the global h-s rail and most widely used. Initially China had none. Hard to say who has the top technology today as there are so many metrics. However, China's new train is quite good and fast, the food is excellent for the price (I tried it)... The new one has the same toilet from the west, not a hole on the floor.

Drones. The commercial version was invented by a Chinese student attending a Hong Kong university and returned to China to set up shop in Shenzhen. His company captured the majority of the global commercial market.

Military Drone #1 goes to US in terms of capabilities. However, China could be #1 in sales due to low prices (about half of the US) and few restrictions to sell. Very popular in Middle East countries where Israel does not win a sale.

Artificial Intelligence.  #1 goes to US. However, China is a close #2. China started late. I can see they will leap frog each other in the coming decades.
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Supercomputer. China #1 with the top two (US #4 or #5) and the top number (US #2) in Top 500 list. They're racing for the next generation of supercomputers. 15 years ago China had zero in the Top 500 list.

5G network. China is one of the 3 countries while we do not even build 4G.

Space exploration. China is filling the gap very fast. To me, it is for prestige. At one time, China and Russia were the only countries that could send supplies to ISS. In a decade or so, China could be the only country that has a space station.

The annual expense is 6B for China and 40B for the US. It seems China gets the bigger bang for the money. 

Who is the top dog is a fool's game. The world will be better if we can share our technology. When you need a drug for survival, do you care whether it is from US or from China?