The U.S.-China competition is one of the defining geopolitical storylines of the 21st century. But it is not a race to see who can produce the fastest computer chips or most sophisticated Artificial intelligence algorithms. It is a much broader contest about what global order the future should look like and enshrining everything from economics to security and culture and values. The U.S.-China relationship has become increasingly complicated. China’s market reforms in the 1980s have helped the country to achieve extraordinary economic growth, which has simultaneously lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and transformed it into a national manufacturing powerhouse. These ambitions became apparent as they built two exacerbate societal interests.
This whole economic reorientation is supported by ambition to “jump over” into the advanced, highly technological sectors which the U.S.A. dominates. At the top of the list stands the AI. Both countries spend billions of dollars on developing these domains. Traditionally, the U.S. was taking a lead on developing AI and AI technologies due to the relatively high independence of the corporate sector and lack of direct interference from the state in companies’ affairs. However, the China is closing the gap really quickly due to vast state investments and amounts of money. However, AI subject is not only the struggle for technological superiority, but it is also a matter of ethics, regulation and governance that will determine the destiny of the efficient AI development on the global scale.
Fifth-generation networks are another debate that is crucial these days. This technology will provide the foundation for the next generation of digital services, enabling smart cities, self-driving cars, and advanced manufacturing U.S. security concerns about Chinese firms such as Huawei have prompted international debates and decisions. For health services, as with all public services, data governance is a critical issue. Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, for example, recently indicated his government’s intention to rely on its own “trusted” fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications technology and its own semiconductor manufacturing to prevent future data breaches.
Since 2018 in the growing tensions between the U.S. and China, the Trump administration launched a trade war with China and a campaign to ban Chinese technology. China appears to see the internet in different ways; Chinese leaders push “cyber sovereignty” which will permit China to police the data and internet infrastructure within its legal domains, this approach could divide the current internet’s open and connected world. The U.S. perspective relating to the situation is clear, according to the national security official; the Chinese president’s ambition is “to turn China into cyber superpower and to displace the United States as the world’s foremost superpower in the world”. To constraint this ambitions, the U.S. has put in place a strategy that focuses on areas of allies’ assistance.
The U.S. is deepening tech collaboration with allies such as the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Slovenia. The U.S. has also signed tech deals with India. These collaborations will take various forms; strengthen cooperation on Geopolitical issues relating to technology, ensure the use of AI as per democratic values sustaining free society, supply chains resilience to various shocks, and coordinating the imposition of AI ethics and governance.
Realizing the need for domestic revitalization, the United States has boosted financing for research and development (R&D) in critical technologies in an effort to promote innovation and preserve its edge over others. The United States has imposed a variety of trade restrictions, export bans, and other measures on Chinese technology enterprises, citing national security concerns and the need to protect its intellectual property.
By means of diplomacy and participation in global organizations, the United States is striving to mold the regulations and guidelines that oversee developing technologies, promoting principles like transparency, openness, and interoperability.
The global community as well as both China and the United States face significant potential and problems as a result of the digital competition. The possibility of technological and economic decoupling, which would create a split global technology ecosystem and impede innovation and economic progress, is one of the biggest concerns. The growing rivalry between the United States and China in the technology sector gives rise to worries about cyber security, the military of technology, and the possibility of conflict.
In spite of the rivalry, cooperation between the United States and China could address global issues like poverty alleviation, pandemic preparedness, and climate change. The digital war between the United States and China affects international security, global economic institutions, and the governance of the commons on a far larger scale than just technology. The approaches and policies that both nations take will influence not just their bilateral relationship but also the structure of the international system in the twenty-first century.
The United States and China are competing to have an impact on the global governance of emerging technologies, and this competition also extends to the domain of international norms and standards. Due to varying technology standards and laws, the rivalry may make the global digital divide worse by impeding global cooperation and connectivity. One complex and dynamic part of their larger strategic battle is the contest between the US and China in technology. The results of this competition will have a significant impact on international system governance, security dynamics, and global economic structures as both countries compete for supremacy in important technology fields.
