How to compete with China

MIT President L. Rafael Reif wrote an NYT op-ed two weeks ago about trade with China and the risk of losing American technological supremacy.  Reif does not condone Chinese trade practices that dictate technology transfers and often involve actual theft of intellectual property.  He cautions that China has become a research powerhouse in its own right, especially in fields such as quantum computing, 5G networks, and mobile software.  His main concern:

Unless America responds urgently and deliberately to the scale and intensity of this challenge, we should expect that, in fields from personal communications to business, health and security, China is likely to become the world's most advanced technological nation and the source of the most cutting-edge technological products in not much more than a decade.  

To maintain America's leadership position, Reid recommends the following: (1) a multiyear strategy to increase funding in key areas and to coordinate the efforts of multiple agencies, (2) revive industry-government-university partnerships, (3) invest more in STEM education, and (4) an immigration policy that attracts the best and the brightest.