Mark Cheng’s Post

In our latest OPED with The Wire China, Sam Bresnick, Kathleen Curlee, and I argue that despite the business difficulties in China, intensifying geopolitical risks, and reputational risks facing U.S. big tech at home, it is unlikely that these firms will make a clean break from China anytime soon. For now, pursuing a strategy of maintaining some ties to China while exploring alternatives may be big tech’s best bet. This piece drew from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) report: Which Ties Will Bind? Big Tech, Lessons from Ukraine, and Implications for Taiwan. URL: https://lnkd.in/eb-YjaVB https://lnkd.in/eGDh26qk

In a significant shift towards technological self-reliance, China has announced a decisive move to exclude Intel and AMD products from its government devices. 🚫🖥️ This strategic decision underscores the growing trend of digital sovereignty, as nations seek greater control over their technological infrastructures amidst global uncertainties. The most intriguing part of this development is China's commitment to fostering its domestic technology sector, reducing dependency on foreign tech giants. This initiative not only highlights the country's ambition to become a global tech leader but also poses questions about the future of international tech collaborations and market dynamics. For those who are keen to explore the implications of this policy change and its impact on the global tech landscape, click here to access the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/dCNaMPRD 📚 Reflecting on China’s move, it's evident that the path towards digital autonomy is becoming increasingly prevalent. This decision may well catalyze a series of changes in how countries approach technology procurement and development, emphasizing the importance of national security and economic independence in the digital age.  Will it spur innovation or lead to further tech fragmentation? Share your thoughts! #DigitalSovereignty #TechPolicy #GlobalTech #ChinaTech #DataNatives

Happy Friday! Read this week’s curated China Tech News by the Influence Matters team. 1. China is pumping another $47.5 billion into its chip industry. Read more on CNN: https://lnkd.in/ghwc6z-d 2. In China's Hyper-Competitive Tech Market, Everything Is a Price War. Read more on Bloomberg: https://lnkd.in/gPs6XZRG 3. China's tech ambitions: could a kids' walnut farm game hold the key to the future? Read more on South China Morning Post SCMP: https://lnkd.in/gzpGDtFV 4. Digital boom elevates China to No. 2 spot in terms of computing power. Read more on CGTN: https://lnkd.in/g9mRVyak 5. China's Digital Silk Road exports internet technology, controls. Read more on Voice of America: https://lnkd.in/gPH_SvdB #chip #tech #price #computing #digital #game

What is a Cold War? A Cold War can be described as an unspoken agreement between 2 political-economic systems to avoid direct war so as to determine who is left standing in the end or the world faces an unending wave of T-80s through the Hamburg Plains and the Fulda Gap. If this is the definition we are going with - we are already in a tech Cold War and the Silicon Curtain dropped with the Great Firewall. That was the end of the beginning of IBM's relationship with China. We are only just now seeing the end of the end. Huawei was built with a big dose of help from IBM. Those were the good days then - and of course, Huawei built China's digital infrastructure. The author wants both China and US to step back. Not happening. I mean neither would step back voluntarily or unconditionally. Both are convinced that their digital model is the correct one. (Both systems suck and excel at different things.) But the article is too late, China has never wanted anyone to rule or even be influential in its IT systems, but want to be influential in other people's IT systems - and the US wants to control everybody by pretending it is not controlling everybody.

In anticipation of Donald Trump's return and the ensuing geopolitical challenges, China is accelerating its efforts to develop a robust domestic semiconductor industry. The Chinese government is heavily investing in the sector, focusing on research, development, and manufacturing to ensure technological self-sufficiency. This surge in activity is driven by the need to mitigate risks posed by U.S. restrictions on advanced technology. As a result, Chinese tech companies and startups are making significant strides in chip innovation, aiming to close the technological gap with their global counterparts. However, the journey is fraught with obstacles, including dependency on imported equipment and materials. Nonetheless, China's proactive approach highlights its determination to build a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem and mitigate vulnerabilities in the global supply chain.

All these tech restrictions and efforts to prevent China from advancing will only spur Chinese companies to innovate faster. Creating better products and solutions faster and at a lower cost. Do you think this strategy applied by the West will work in slowing down China?

Of course this is expected . They already filled the gap in more complex areas . So it is no surprise they will fill the gap and possibly even beat US chip makers. You put fifty Engineers and Researchers China can allocate five hundred Engineers and Researchers working day and night . So they will make it happen. No question about that . The only area where China will be always behind is the software game . Even though they have one of the best programmers in the world. That’s because Software is an art a lot of creativity and decisions making cleverness. So it does not help to have more software engineers or system designers or architects . You simply can never beat Silicon Valley. At this time. That’s where partnership with countries like France can bring value to the Chinese Giant.

We are proud to release our 2nd Annual "US-China Decoupling & Economic Separation Index" that ranks and grades the private sector's corporate entanglements with China, coinciding with next week's inaugural "Economic Statecraft Summit" with Texas A&M University & Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. While the core is rankings, we want to highlight our expansive investigation into Intel Capital and Intel Corporation, a company that has received far less blowback compared to similar companies investing against the long-term interests of the U.S. and democracy (see: Qualcomm Ventures and Qualcomm, called out in the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party's investigation), but continues to support for startups, especially AI, in #China. As we detail in our report, the most recent investments by Intel Capital have occurred in the last 12 months. Like our inaugural report in 2023, the core is the rankings, yet we undertook this review based on the principle that it is fair to hold all companies to a common account and, when appropriate, shine the disinfecting sunlight of public transparency on the actors that may make the right publicity statements but continue to flaunt enrichment by the foes of democracy. We believe that even the companies that have been the preferred industry champion and remain critical to the future of the US semiconductor industry, such as Intel Corporation, should not be above public scrutiny, greater evidence will be revealed in other mainstream publications, an investigation initiated at the private prompting of our executive director Andrew King, to which contributed additional data and resources on their behalf. #chinabusiness #Decoupling #EconomicSeparation #IntelCapital #IntelCorporation

Power Struggle: How Apple and Samsung’s Rivalry is Shaping Global Geopolitics - The rivalry between Apple and Samsung is not just about who makes the best phone or who has the largest market share. It is a power struggle between two of the world’s biggest tech companies, and its impact goes far beyond the technology industry. Apple-vs-Samsung: The Battle for Tech Supremacy The competition between Apple, based […]- Read More at :https://lnkd.in/d59r2crb