Most of the long shot human advancements today are being done by China.
Some other countries might still develop ideas but when it's time to actually put it into practice and scale it seems it'll always require the Chinese to play a huge part in it. They're the only ones with appetite for "unprofitable" projects that have returns in decades.
Yep - the Chinese space program seems very long term and strategic in nature, both incrementally working towards moon landing and moon base, and beyond. It's obviously great for inspiring generations of kids to get into STEM, as well as national prestige, maybe a good driver for things like robotics and AI as well.
Some other countries might still develop ideas but when it's time to actually put it into practice and scale it seems it'll always require the Chinese to play a huge part in it. They're the only ones with appetite for "unprofitable" projects that have returns in decades.