There is perhaps no more potent demonstration of China's ability to set, and often realize, ambitious goals than the government's backing of high-speed rail and efforts to put humans on the moon, both massive projects that require funding on a scale seemingly impossible in the West and an ability to invent and adapt numerous technologies. We believe such ambitions could jump-start innovation in much the same way that government-funded programs did in the United States in the second half of the 20th century.