China as Top Innovator is Off the Mark

By: Brent Patmos

In the Monday, July 23, 2007 edition of the USA Today (Money Section) a sidebar said the following: "One in four Americans think China will beat the United States in the next decade as the world leader in innovation, according to a survey released Sunday by Zogby International. Seventy percent said the government is not doing enough, and nearly two-thirds of the 8,046 respondents said American business isn't promoting innovation enough, either."

China's degree and depth of TRUE innovation is suspect. Let's not forget the numerous manufacturing snafus (from toothpaste to tires) that China has experienced in recent months. What China is is a leader in pirating and patent infringement. China should be recognized less for their manufacturing innovation and more for their repeated bastardizing and commoditizing of American Innovation and markets.

While certain markets and manufacturers may have grown stale, TRUE innovation and ingenuity are alive and well in companies throughout the United States. As we move forward in manufacturing, it's important that American companies direct their sales emphasis less on the low cost provision of Chinese Sourcing and more on the TRUE innovation and value that American companies provide.