Could Silicon Valley’s lobbying create ‘mutual suspicion’ between US and China?
The US tech industry’s increasingly hawkish attitude towards China has caused alarm among some observers who warn it could cause greater mistrust between the two countries. Silicon Valley has become much more politicised in recent years, with leading figures such as Elon Musk donating vast sums to political campaigns, including Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. The US government has placed…
Recent years have seen the tech industry in Silicon Valley become much more politically active, particularly towards China. Figures like Elon Musk have contributed large sums to political campaigns, including Donald Trump’s 2024 bid. The US government has made technological competition a focal point of its rivalry with Beijing. Tech lobbyists have been incorporating the "China threat" concept into their lobbying efforts, as noted in a recent article in the Journal of Contemporary Asia-Pacific Studies.
These lobbyists are strategically presenting information to capitalize on Washington's concerns about China, potentially reinforcing US misperceptions and intensifying mutual suspicion with China. This shift in lobbying has profound implications for the China-US tech rivalry and global technology governance. The authors Tan Yannan and Sun Chenghao of the article express concern that the "instrumentalisation of China-related issues in government-business interactions will further reinforce US misperceptions about China and intensify strategic mutual suspicion between the two sides."
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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