The G7 needs an ‘R&D7’ to beat China

In this Op-Ed in fDI Intelligence/Financial Times, I propose an important agenda item for the upcoming G7 Summit, chaired this year by the U.K., which will take place in Cornwall in June. It draws from a recent paper of mine: "Time for a New Chapter to Forge and Leverage International S&T Agreements"

I argue that the globe's advanced democracies - the G7 - must fashion a fundamentally new paradigm to enhance plurilateral collaboration in R&D through strengthening the rudimentary network of, and rules embodied in, the G7's bilateral international science and technology (S&T) agreements - - still thought of as instruments of "science diplomacy."

They are a far cry from what's needed today in light of the way in which - and where - the "value capture" from advances in technology takes place globally.

They are antiquated compared the mechanisms governing the G7's cross-border trade and investment relationships - international trade agreements and international investment treaties - the two other foundations of the 3-legged stool necessary to systematically drive the G7's international competitiveness.

Thus, modernizing these international S&T agreements is necessary to addresses a long-standing institutional deficit in the way the G7 should have been collaborating in the global economy to boost the prosperity of their citizens.

This is all the more important if these countries want to counter China and reduce its threat to the G7's national security.

The link to the Op-Ed is here: "The G7 needs an‘R&D7’ to beat China"

The link to the full paper from which the Op-Ed is drawn is here: "Time for a New Chapter to Forge and Leverage International S&T Agreements"