People’s Daily published a commentary arguing that “changing lanes to overtake” (换道超车)—pursuing alternative technological pathways rather than competing directly with established leaders—has become a key pillar of China’s innovation strategy. The article highlights recent examples, including Huawei’s proposed “Tau (τ) Law,” which seeks to improve semiconductor performance through “time scaling” rather than traditional transistor miniaturization, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ development of the RISC-V-based “Xiangshan” open-source computing system and “Ruyi” operating system to bypass technological and ecosystem barriers associated with dominant instruction-set architectures.
The commentary argues that direct competition with established leaders is often constrained by technological barriers, industry standards, and entrenched market positions. By pursuing differentiated development paths and leveraging its own comparative advantages, China can reduce competitive disadvantages, create new opportunities, and gain greater strategic initiative.
As examples of successful “lane changing,” the article points to Chinese television manufacturers’ shift from OLED technology to Mini LED displays, which improved display quality while lowering costs. It also highlights China’s humanoid robotics industry, which has adopted electric-drive systems and rapid application-based iteration rather than following traditional hydraulic-driven development models. According to the commentary, these cases demonstrate how alternative technological pathways can help China bypass existing barriers, accelerate innovation, and achieve technological catch-up.
Source: People’s Daily, June 9, 2026
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0609/c461529-40736329.html