From Imitation to Innovation: What South Africa Can Learn from China’s Tech Industry

China turned their “innovation by imitation” strategy into a launchpad for global innovation. Can South Africa and other BRICS economies do the same?

Innovation scholars and policymakers have long debated the legitimacy and effectiveness of “innovation by imitation” as a strategy for latecomer economies. Far from being seen as mere intellectual theft, this approach is increasingly recognised as a critical phase in technological catch-up.

For years, the dominant Western narrative about China’s tech industry was simple: copy, scale, win. The story went something like this: Chinese companies copy or reverse-engineer Western innovation, flood the market with local clones, and leverage scale, low cost labour, and Government support to win at home.

But that story is outdated now. Let me explain.

Travis Kalanick, former Uber CEO, was recently a guest on the All-In podcast, where he talked about what it was like running a high-intensity business in China. He shared his firsthand experiences on the ferocity of local competition that western companies face when entering the Chinese market and how Uber couldn't keep up.

While building Uber China nearly a decade ago, Kalanick watched Chinese rivals copy his team’s innovations with stunning speed. “Two weeks later, boom!! . They’ve got it,” he said. “... And a week after that, boom!! They’ve improved it.”

Once the copying cycle tightened to its natural limit, China’s tech scene began to flip — Imitation gave way to creativity and innovation.

But then something happened. Once the copying cycle tightened to its natural limit, China’s tech industry began to flip. Imitation gave way to creativity. And now, in areas like logistics, food delivery, and urban infrastructure, China is not just catching up, it’s leading the way.

Travis gave an example of the smart locker ecosystem common in Chinese office buildings. Couriers don’t wait around. They scan a QR code, drop off your food or package into a secure locker, and go. A building runner (part of an entirely new job category) then delivers it to your desk. It's seamless, asynchronous, and lightning fast. Travis also talked about how in cities like Beijing or Shenzhen, apparently this has been normal for years. While in the U.S., they are only now experimenting with similar models through companies like Amazon Hub or startup commissary systems.

And it’s not just infrastructure. The business model muscle is evolving too. They are now experimenting with consolidating deliveries and how to cut courier costs to using AI to predict office building food demand. Insane, mind-blowing, if you ask me.

The tech industry in China has exercised its innovation muscle for years now, and it’s getting stronger at innovation.

But perhaps the most powerful lesson isn’t just what China has done, but what it signals for the rest of the world, especially other emerging economies in the BRICS bloc, including South Africa.

Too often, the global innovation conversation sidelines developing nations, assuming that true innovation must originate in Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. But China’s story shows that innovation doesn’t always begin with originality, it often begins with adaptation.

My take on this is that copying, when done with ambition and purpose, becomes a bridge to something greater. China used imitation not as an end, but as a training ground a way to sharpen execution, push scale, and build the confidence to experiment. That same playbook is open to South Africa, Brazil, India, and others. Start by studying what works globally. Localise it. Build at scale. Then iterate and outthink.

In South Africa, this might mean rethinking how logistics work across sprawling peri-urban areas, or how informal vendors could plug into digitized food delivery chains. It could mean building smart infrastructure that reflects township realities, not just urban ones. It starts with small, local adaptations of global models, and over time, it grows into full-blown innovation ecosystems.

Countries such as South Korea and Taiwan have successfully built globally competitive industries by systematically absorbing, adapting, and eventually improving upon foreign technologies. In the case of China, this strategy has matured beyond replication, eventually becoming a platform for localised innovation and global competitiveness.

The question now is whether other developing economies, especially those in the BRICS bloc like South Africa, can embrace imitation as a stepping stone, not a stigma, on the road to innovation leadership.

Just as China, South Korea, and Taiwan once used imitation as a springboard to innovation, South Africa and the broader Sub-Saharan countries can adopt the same strategy for technological catch-up.

The biggest take away? You don’t need to be first, you need to be relentlessly adaptive, fast-moving, and eventually bold enough to lead.

Because in the innovation game, the starting line is less important than how fast and how smart you move.