Adaptation vs Innovation? Maybe it’s the wrong question.

One of the critiques of China is that it doesn't have a creative, innovative domestic business environment. But two recent articles made me question whether that is really necessary, or even advisable, for China or other countries trying to play catch up to the US. (I don’t have room to discuss the advantages of a dictatorial state directing the economy in this piece.)First is an article about WeChat, a mobile chat app in China that now boasts 980 million global users. What makes it unique is that it was first an adaptation of chat apps on iPhone but has since evolved into it's own platform that allows users to download and run apps within the WeChat app itself. It's amazingly popular and successful with a ton of advantages, not the least of which is that it has basically created it's own ecosystem that users don't have to leave to lead a digital life.The platform allows for smaller apps to run simultaneously, so, for example, it allows for payment to retail and/or individual users by letting individuals to split a restaurant tab 4 ways via instant transfers and then pay the retailer. You can hail a ride, read the news, posts to social media, edit photos, pay bills, and so much more all in the same app.The WeChat platform is THE business platform for China-related business today. You cannot deal with Mainland China in any meaningful way without WeChat. Outside of China, other than with PRC expats, it is slowing expanding, incorporating Hong Kong and Taiwan into social circles that China's other government-sponsored soft power resources haven’t otherwise been able to do.Basically, you have to have WeChat to interact with (PRC) Chinese people. The CCP has taken notice of that and structured laws to incorporate anyone that uses the app and censors any conversation that it deems problematic via both corporate liability requirements as well as government censors. Expect both control of and use to expand as digital ID cards on WeChat are coming soon.Second, is a WSJ article about CRISPR gene splicing. It was invented and pioneered in the US. But due to regulations in the West, actual testing has been taken over by China. 85 patients so far in China since 2016 vs 0 in the US and 0 in the EU. For me the highlights of the article are that China is both equal to the US in ability to perform this type of cutting edge work AND that it has no qualms about moving forward with trials. There are 1.5 billion Chinese ("enough and to spare" to paraphrase Chinese friends of mine) and they all want a better life--but a different better than the US. The US is worried about equality, information (patients rights), legal and health consequences, processes to make sure that it's as safe as possible in the long term. For example, regulatory hurdles have still not been overcome after years of dedicated work to meet FDA demands, while Chinese doctors apparently received approval after a single Power Point presentation. The Chinese government is specifically oriented to passing the US in high-tech within the next 20 years. And they have little to no experience with the legal issues surrounding many advanced processes or human rights. In fact, they don't really care about legal or HR issues--and at this point that inattention is giving them a huge advantage moving forward.For decades now my fear has been that China will eventually take over the world just by shear numbers and by dint of the way those billions are accustom to doing business. With the financial and political backing of the State and the lack of regulations or Human Rights concerns, the opportunities for China to dominate are quite literally endless.On a related note, Chinese money is affecting the Indian Tech industry as well. It's happing in Cambodia too--Chinese money is overwhelming both local competitors as well as the local government institutions. It's not just that the Chinese are outbidding other rivals, but that with the backing of the Chinese state they are investing such massive amounts directly, or indirectly via related projects, that they are taking over entire industries—mostly strategic infrastructure projects that benefit both the host country and China. Some of these projects are leaving host governments with limited resources to pay back Chinese investment loans (Sri Lanka) or a Chinese dominated sector that then becomes a security issue (Nepal, Pakistan).