The article is devoted to the consideration of the modern role of East Asian countries in global technological cooperation and, simultaneously, the acute international competition unfolding in this area. The article shows that at present, in the context of the developing industrial revolution 4.0, which is a project formulated by Western countries in the field of technological, industrial, and post-industrial development, serious tectonic shifts have already occurred and continue to occur in the global technology and innovation market. In particular, China has displaced Japan from the position of a recognized world scientific and technical leader. Japan remains an innovative country, but the main race and competition in the field of technology is taking place between Washington and Beijing. Many countries and regions are consistently increasing the level of development of high-tech industries in their economies, which is reflected in the tables of statistical data and diagrams presented in the article, but the United States and China are at an obviously higher and more complex level of technological achievements and competition. Other technologically advanced countries in the world and the East Asian region, as the article shows using the example of South Korea, have to maneuver and make a difficult choice about whether they will support the «decoupling» campaign that Washington is trying to wage against China or give priority to the economic liquidity of cooperation with China in the field of technology and innovation.
the fourth industrial revolution; technology; innovation; Japan; ASEAN; South Korea; China; «decoupling».