The relative distribution of power among the world’s leading states has never been static. Since the eighteenth century, the international system has repeatedly undergone profound transformations marked by shifts in power among advanced nations. The purpose of this article is to analyze the transformative role of emerging technologies and their implications for reshaping the global power structure, with a specific focus on the technological rivalry between China and the United States in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It seeks to address the central question of how the acquisition and diffusion of new technologies during successive industrial revolutions have influenced the redistribution of power among states. This study assumes that technological innovation—by generating uneven patterns of industrial growth—has simultaneously accelerated economic development, enhanced the strategic capabilities of rising powers, and triggered major shifts in the international balance of power. The research employs a descriptive–explanatory method, and its findings demonstrate that technological innovation constitutes one of the most critical determinants of national power. Since the primary objective of states in every industrial revolution has been to secure frontier technologies in order to consolidate political and economic influence while curtailing the advancement of rivals, China’s rapid technological ascent poses a significant challenge to the United States and threatens its dominant position within the international system.