Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States still regards China as the main threat of the twenty-first century. This is what emerges from the presentation of the Biden administration’s policy towards China, presented on May 26 by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The most interesting aspect is that neither Chinese military expansion nor Taiwan’s security nor freedom of navigation in the South China Sea are at the center of the rivalry. These issues are important and have been mentioned, but the sector considered most relevant is that of technology, to the point that listening to Blinken one has the sensation of a new “Sputnik moment”, as the awakening of the United States was nicknamed in 1957 when the ‘The USSR surprised the world by sending the first satellite into orbit around the Earth.
Out of fear that the United States was overtaken, President Eisenhower created NASA for space conquest and the lesser-known Defense advanced research projects agency (Darpa) at the time to retain an edge in cutting-edge technologies. It is from DARPA that the internet was born.
Delocalizing innovation
Donald Trump had already reacted to the publication of a Beijing plan called “China 2025”, which listed the technologies in which China wanted to achieve world leadership: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, etc. But where Trump had decided to impose sanctions, Biden wants to take up the gauntlet of innovation.
On May 26, Blinken pointed out that the United States has plummeted from first to ninth place in the world in research spending, while China has moved up to second place. This strategic rivalry (together with covid, which has affected supply chains) now pushes to delocalize innovation.
The United States has decided to go into fourth gear to catch up, for example in the field of semiconductors. A few days ago Biden visited a major semiconductor factory in South Korea that will be replicated in the United States. The race for innovation has started.
The technological dimension is as important as military rivalry. If the United States were satisfied with “stemming” China (as they used to say at the time of the Cold War) with their regional alliances, they would be in the wrong century.
On May 26, Blinken stressed that the difference between China and Russia is that the former is a global power – economic, technological and military – that wants to change the international order. In this sense it is more dangerous for the United States than Russia, even if today it is the Russians who are waging war.
The US lesson is also valid for Europe, where however it seems to be less understood. Europe is awakening on a military level under the effect of the war on its doorstep, but it should not forget the “other war”, that of technology, just as important in order not to end up in a position of vassalage in the twenty-first century. Despite some efforts in Brussels, we too clearly need a ‘Sputnik moment’.
(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)