The US-China race for technological centrality: A network perspective.

• Technological leadership as a driver in the distribution of global power. • US-China tech power dynamics in the global patent network. • "Fit-gets-richer" vs. "rich-gets-richer" mechanisms. • Validates China's central tech role without overcoming the US. • "Rich-get-richer" mechanism benefits the US in patents. This research analyzes the evolution of technological leadership in the global patents network, focusing on the roles of the US and China from 2001 to 2021. The US's central position in the network faces increasing challenges from China's economic and technological rise. This study goes beyond conventional approaches that analyze material capabilities by adopting a structural dynamic approach, which allows us to examine not only a country's centrality but also the mechanisms that lead a country to become central in the network. International technological influence is assessed through the global patents network by analyzing each country's position and growth mechanisms. The results show that, despite China's substantial growth in the network, the US remains the undisputed central power, benefiting from a growth mechanism that favors already central countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]