In one story from the Jin Dynasty (266-420), an old woman was robbed. A young man came to her aid and chased the robber, but the robber turned around and accused her of being the thief. It was late at night, and it was dark, so the old woman was confused and could only look back and forth between the two men. Washington now seems to be trying to turn things around by pointing the finger at others, just like the thief.
First, Washington accuses China of seeking world domination. In response to a question in an interview, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “China is seeking world domination. [China] Our ambition is to become the world's dominant military, economic and diplomatic power.”
China is not on track to dominate the global chip industry by any standards, given its heavy reliance on imported chips and vulnerability to external factors.
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Washington's criticism is likely more motivated by fears of the US losing its high-tech hegemony than by fears of China overtaking the US. “Given the fundamental nature of certain technologies, such as advanced logic and memory chips, we need to maintain as large a lead as possible,” National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan said at a 2022 technology conference.
Washington sees Chinese innovation and technological advances as a threat to its own technological dominance. Washington's claims of China's technological dominance ambitions serve to justify its relentless and relentless attacks on China. They also serve to stoke fears and anxieties among U.S. allies as a means of rallying support to thwart Chinese technological development.
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Biden to impose new restrictions on US investment in China, declares tech 'emergency'
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But technological dominance has never been, and will never be, China's goal: China shares its technology and innovations with other countries, for example by providing 5G networks, cloud computing, data analytics, AI and other technologies to African countries.
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Why the EU and US are worried about Chinese excess capacity
But by bringing these benefits to the world, China is weakening the monopoly power of Western multinationals: Chinese innovation and manufacturing power means these companies can no longer charge high prices for their products and services.
The Chinese story at the beginning has a happy ending. The thief and the young man who caught him were brought before local officials and made to race. The thief was not very fast, which is why he was caught first. The officials identified the culprit and justice was served. Washington will soon learn that treachery does not come without consequences. The thief's cry of “thief” may work, but not for long.
Zhou Xiaoming is a senior fellow at the China and Globalization Center in Beijing and a former Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations in Geneva.
