The elected President Joe Biden appears that he will not have a very different approach to the technological war that President Donald Trump started against the Chinese industry and its businesses – but Biden will likely be more focused in his approach and will cooperate with some allies, said some experts on the subject to CNBC.
During his presidency, Trump tried to challenge China's technology industry through sanctions, executive orders and other actions. Biden will probably continue such a policy.
«Trump completely disrupted the relations that had existed between the US and China for decades», said Abishur Prakash, a geopolitical specialist at the Center for Future Innovation (CIF), a consulting firm based in Toronto.
The Trump administration has taken a series of actions against major Chinese technology companies. One example we've told you about many times is Huawei, which was placed on a US blacklist known as the Entity List last year.
Collaboration with allies
The approach of non‑cooperation with Chinese technology companies could continue under President Biden.
«I think that Biden will continue to see technology as an important source of competition and will continue some of Trump’s approaches», said Adam Segal, director of the program «Digital and Cyber Policy» at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR).
«The difference is that the process will be more collaborative, both with the private sector and with allies, and will focus more on a narrower set of technologies», he said to CNBC.
Paul Triolo, head of the geo-technology practice at the Eurasia Group, agreed that the Biden administration will work with allies.
Triolo told CNBC that Biden's team will «clarify what needs to be monitored in the areas of emerging and foundational technologies». Some of these areas will include artificial intelligence and the so‑called quantum computing, the next generation of computers that uses quantum physics to solve problems that take years for existing computers to solve.
Prakash says Biden will likely continue Trump’s push to exclude Chinese suppliers from next-generation mobile networks. The Trump administration has been pressuring the country’s allies to cut Huawei out of their networks. Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom have done so.
One thing is certain – the technological battle between the US and China will continue under Biden's presidency.
"The US doesn't have many choices. Either allow China to dominate the world through technology or compete in every way," Prakash said.
