Tech War
The confrontation between the United States and China is not just a “trade war” centered on tariffs. More consequentially, the two countries are in the early stages of a tech war: a race to develop or dominate emerging technologies deemed critical to future economic, industrial, and military positioning and leadership. These emerging technologies include Artificial Intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, and advanced computing. On national security grounds, the United States is developing and implementing a whole-of-government approach to maintain the country’s technological edge through legal and policy measures to restrict Chinese access to U.S. technology and intellectual property (IP), including by: (1) limiting or prohibiting commercial transactions, (2) adopting export controls on emerging technologies, (3) instituting supply chain exclusions, (4) curbing participation in academic and other research, and (5) combating cyber intrusions and industrial and academic espionage.[2] Additionally, concerns about Chinese government influence have spurred proposals to regulate the activities of entities viewed as Chinese government influence operators, such as the Confucius Institute.