US-China tech war

Once a flashpoint in US-China relations over the sale of synthetic opioids and their precursors, online drug vendors in China are pivoting to other white powdered substances: unproven treatments for Covid-19. Chemical vendors on social media and e-commerce platforms are responding to surging demand for antiviral medication like chloroquine and remdesivir. They are exploiting the wave of hope propelled by as-yet inconclusive trials and US President Donald Trump’s repeated promotions of the drugs.  Both drugs – long-time treatments of malaria that are yet to be clinically proven in the US as safe and effective on Covid-19 patients – are already being hoarded around the world and used for self-

The Trump administration is adopting increasingly aggressive tactics in its bid to counter Chinese theft of trade secrets with the arrest of a prominent Harvard professor and high-profile investigations into top universities. The move against one of the nation’s foremost scientists – Charles Lieber, chairman of the Harvard chemistry department – and the threat of criminal charges against Harvard, Yale and other prestigious universities over reporting violations has sent shock waves through the scientific establishment. Unlike many other recent cases involving scientists of Chinese descent, Lieber is Caucasian. He and leading universities are also being accused of failing to disclose ties to

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called China’s ruling party the “central threat of our times,” as he sought to convince allies to push back against Beijing’s growing influence. The top American diplomat made the declaration in London after the United Kingdom defied US pressure in approving limited use of Huawei equipment in its next-generation, or 5G, wireless network. The Trump administration has called on its European allies to join the United States in banning the Chinese telecoms giant, accusing the company of being a security threat. Western allies must “ensure that the next century is governed by … Western democratic principles,” Pompeo said during a joint appearance with British For

One encourages people on her social media profile to “send $$$ 4 nudez.” Others include a professional actress, a Vancouver artist and a young man whose fondness for starring in pornographic selfies had made his Twitter feed decidedly NSFW. What united them all on Monday was an apparent devotion to the cause of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, in her bid to avoid extradition to the United States on fraud charges. They and a couple dozen others stood outside the Supreme Court of British Columbia on the first day of Meng’s extradition hearing in Vancouver, holding signs demanding “Justice For Ms Meng” and other slogans.  They appeared in the background of reports by Chinese state broadcasters CC

China faces another embarrassment in its drive to build home-grown technology after one of the country’s leading research institutes suspended a senior computer scientist for making false claims. The prestigious Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing said it had suspended lab scientist Liu Lei after his false claim that a programming language he helped develop was made entirely in China. The school said it would investigate Liu. The scandal adds to a series of blows to China’s ambition to reduce its dependence on imported technology, including software and computer chips.  The prospect of state funding for domestic innovation has led to a number of ex

The phase one trade deal between China and the US, signed on January 15, signaled a truce in the trade war. This is a welcome development, not only for the two countries but also for the rest of the world. It is expected to usher in a period of relative calm and reduced uncertainty, which should increase both investment and consumption globally.  However, it is not a net win for either country, even though they are both better off with the truce. They have both suffered economic losses from the mutual tariffs. In fact, China’s estimated loss in gross domestic product is higher than that of the United States, in both absolute and relative terms. Unfortunately, the conclusion of the phase one

China and the United States reached an agreement that would help fend off talk of a decoupling between the world’s two largest economies, a top Chinese official said. The countries signed an initial trade deal on Wednesday to put the brakes on their 18-month war of tariffs that roiled global markets and shook up supply chains. Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, speaking to reporters after a signing ceremony with US President Donald Trump, said the deal indicated that the two countries are deeply interconnected. “I think it is very unrealistic. A few people without economic backgrounds are talking about decoupling between China and the US, but in reality it is impossible,” Liu was quoted as saying

After the Trump administration showed itself willing and capable of blocking Chinese access to US technology as US-China tensions rose, Beijing may have learned. China is aiming to increase its reliance on domestic production for key components, including chips and control systems, to 75% by 2025, according to a former official. The target reflects Beijing’s determination to reduce its dependence on imports by expanding its national manufacturing innovation centers to 40 from the 15 at the end of 2019. Domestic production currently only provides around a third of the key components required by China, but Li Yizhong, a former industry and information technology minister, said this week that t

New legislation introduced in the US Senate on Tuesday aims to create a viable Western alternative to China’s telecoms giant Huawei and undercut the country’s dominance in global 5G networks. The lack of global alternatives to Huawei has been one of the biggest problems in Washington’s bid to counter Chinese strength in 5G networks – the faster and higher capacity fifth generation of telecommunication systems. The Senate bill tries to address that gap. If passed, it would spend more than $1 billion to bolster US competitiveness, allocate new spectrum and support research and development in the telecommunications industry. “We are at a critical point in history for defining the future of the

At the University of British Colombia, western Canada’s most prestigious university, some academics fear that connections to Huawei could put them in peril, even as the company continues to spend millions on research there. Since the arrest of Meng Wanzhou in December 2018, 18 new projects have been earmarked for Huawei funding at UBC, costing the company $2 million, according to a spreadsheet provided by the university. However, UBC engineering professor Lukas Chrostowski said he knew of at least three department colleagues who have refused to take part in Huawei-financed projects because they worry they will be swept up in US action against the firm. His own work in photonics – the use of