Joe Biden described China this week as a nation incapable of producing innovative products and ideas.
"I challenge you: Name me one innovative project, one innovative change, one innovative product that has come out of China," the vice president dared cadets at Wednesday's Air Force Academy graduation.
In fact, innovation is a key driver of China's economy. It has been for years, and the government is putting money behind it.
Chinese companies are increasing research and development spending by up to 20% a year. Meanwhile, R&D spending in the United States is growing at about 1% to 4%.
The investment is paying off for China. The country is now home to some of the world's most innovative companies -- particularly in fields of mobile technology, biotech and medical devices.
Here are a few examples:
Smartphone maker Xiaomi: Founded just four years ago in Beijing, this company is now valued at more than $10 billion and sells just as many phones in China as Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500). It pumps out an updated operating system once a week. Its founder is frequently compared to Steve Jobs.
Tech company Tencent: This firm owns a web of mobile, telecom and online retail businesses that rank among the largest in the world. Tencent has a bigger market cap than Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) or Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500), more users than Twitter (TWTR) and more sales than Facebook (FB, Fortune 500). Its messaging app, WeChat, has more features than many of its Western competitors and is sweeping markets from Asia to Africa.
Network maker Huawei: The networks built to carry all that smartphone data? Huawei, a telecom equipment supplier, is second globally only to Ericsson (ERIC). Huawei employs more than 70,000 R&D employees. It's a leading proponent of 5G technology, and it is starting to make cell phones, too.
Biotech firm B.G.I.: This company sequences more DNA than any other institution on earth -- more than Harvard, more than the National Institutes of Health. It's an industry leader with nearly limitless ambition.
There are plenty more. The computer chips made by Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics. The desktops and phones made by Lenovo. The business model that led Alibaba to retail domination.
Joe Biden is wrong. China does innovate 
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