Isn’t China stealing our technology? Isn’t Huawei a cybersecurity threat? Is China now the enemy?
These questions are asked frequently in interviews with various media outlets as my new book launches: Tech Titans of China.
These issues are in the public spotlight as China is leapfrogging the U.S. in technological capabilities. The U.S. has never had to confront a tech adversary. But now this rapid gain by China, and its clear intentions to own large chunks of tomorrow’s technologies, is being recognized by the U.S. It’s a wake-up call for the U.S. China has a new challenger to the U.S. for continued global dominance. A tech cold war between China and the U.S. is underway, and shows no sign of easing.
What is the U.S. response? Fight back. Limit Chinese investment in American tech startups and emerging companies. Restrict U.S. companies from selling to China telecom operator Huawei, considered a security threat.
These actions by the U.S. are pushing China to become more self reliant on its own technologies. This is in part a good thing because as China invents its own tech rather than copy from the West, it’s become more cognizant and respectful of intellectual property protections, which in turn helps American companies compete in China. The bad part is that this new self reliance by China is causing a split in the long, U.S.-China cross-border cooperation and collaboration that has existed for the past two decades, since China’s tech revolution began. A divide will slow down the pace of global innovation and likely raise prices.
At the heart of these pressing issues is a growing realization that the U.S. doesn’t have a proactive stance of its own — when it should as the world’s largest backer of innovative startups, the biggest patent filer globally, the biggest economy worldwide, the most impactful tech hub globally, and its own tech titans, the FAANGs.
Whether you are a panda lover or a dragon slayer, it would be wise to come up to speed about the meteoric rise of China. High-tech China is inventing the next, new thing in frontier technologies: artificial intelligence, biotech, green energy, robotics and superfast and highly functional mobile communications. Large sweeps of the Chinese economy — transportation, commerce, finance, health care, entertainment and communications — are being reimagined and reshaped by China’s assertive effort to forge ahead by leveraging technology.
You could argue that it’s an uneven playing field, that China protects and subsidizes its own tech titans. China’s high-tech giants have dominated in their homeland for several years. Many American tech companies have failed in China not only because the local rival has the upper hand but also because U.S. companies haven’t mastered how to win in China against fierce local rivals.
Now that the Chinese have insights into how Silicon Valley does it, they are taking a next step. They are ambitiously seeking to use their knowhow, capital and scale to become fire-breathing dragons internationally. They are stepping onto the world stage and getting recognized by Wall Street, Main Street, Capitol Hill, academia and the media.
China has shed its image as the world’s low-cost producer and flagrant copier of Western internet and mobile brands to become a tech-centric place for new ideas. China’s entrepreneurial clusters in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou are challenging Silicon Valley, Silicon Beach and Silicon Alley for inventiveness, speed and commercialization of the future for work, play, lifestyle and connections. For the first time, China tech innovations are getting ahead of the west, and at a fast tempo.
Finally, it would be foolish to presume that recent trade negotiations will end China’s tech ambitions. Tech and trade have become intertwined in this new era, and China will forge ahead.
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Isn’t China stealing our technology? Isn’t Huawei a cybersecurity threat? Is China now the enemy?
These questions are asked frequently in interviews with various media outlets as my new book launches: Tech Titans of China.
These issues are in the public spotlight as China is leapfrogging the U.S. in technological capabilities. The U.S. has never had to confront a tech adversary. But now this rapid gain by China, and its clear intentions to own large chunks of tomorrow’s technologies, is being recognized by the U.S. It’s a wake-up call for the U.S. China has a new challenger to the U.S. for continued global dominance. A tech cold war between China and the U.S. is underway, and shows no sign of easing.
What is the U.S. response? Fight back. Limit Chinese investment in American tech startups and emerging companies. Restrict U.S. companies from selling to China telecom operator Huawei, considered a security threat.
These actions by the U.S. are pushing China to become more self reliant on its own technologies. This is in part a good thing because as China invents its own tech rather than copy from the West, it’s become more cognizant and respectful of intellectual property protections, which in turn helps American companies compete in China. The bad part is that this new self reliance by China is causing a split in the long, U.S.-China cross-border cooperation and collaboration that has existed for the past two decades, since China’s tech revolution began. A divide will slow down the pace of global innovation and likely raise prices.
At the heart of these pressing issues is a growing realization that the U.S. doesn’t have a proactive stance of its own — when it should as the world’s largest backer of innovative startups, the biggest patent filer globally, the biggest economy worldwide, the most impactful tech hub globally, and its own tech titans, the FAANGs.
Whether you are a panda lover or a dragon slayer, it would be wise to come up to speed about the meteoric rise of China. High-tech China is inventing the next, new thing in frontier technologies: artificial intelligence, biotech, green energy, robotics and superfast and highly functional mobile communications. Large sweeps of the Chinese economy — transportation, commerce, finance, health care, entertainment and communications — are being reimagined and reshaped by China’s assertive effort to forge ahead by leveraging technology.
You could argue that it’s an uneven playing field, that China protects and subsidizes its own tech titans. China’s high-tech giants have dominated in their homeland for several years. Many American tech companies have failed in China not only because the local rival has the upper hand but also because U.S. companies haven’t mastered how to win in China against fierce local rivals.
Now that the Chinese have insights into how Silicon Valley does it, they are taking a next step. They are ambitiously seeking to use their knowhow, capital and scale to become fire-breathing dragons internationally. They are stepping onto the world stage and getting recognized by Wall Street, Main Street, Capitol Hill, academia and the media.
China has shed its image as the world’s low-cost producer and flagrant copier of Western internet and mobile brands to become a tech-centric place for new ideas. China’s entrepreneurial clusters in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou are challenging Silicon Valley, Silicon Beach and Silicon Alley for inventiveness, speed and commercialization of the future for work, play, lifestyle and connections. For the first time, China tech innovations are getting ahead of the west, and at a fast tempo.
Finally, it would be foolish to presume that recent trade negotiations will end China’s tech ambitions. Tech and trade have become intertwined in this new era, and China will forge ahead.