US trade fuss will accelerate, not contain, high-tech in China

The so-called Section 301 investigation, nominally a protective measure to help US enterprises cope with unfair treatment in technology transfer, market entry and investment, is a tool the United States employs to contain China’s high-tech industries and advanced manufacturing industries.

The Section 301 investigation points directly to Made in China 2025, an industrial development plan Beijing unveiled in 2015, exposing Washington's purpose. The 10 key fields highlighted by the Made in China 2025 plan all belong to high-tech or advanced manufacturing industries. What the US worries is that once China has developed mature technologies and advanced manufacturing capacities in these fields, it will directly compete with the high-tech industries of the US, threatening the latter.

The process of the Section 301 investigation has demonstrated comparatively strong subjectivity and tendentiousness, which is a typical US style of intentional misinterpretation of China’s industrial development plan.

The investigation, which was largely based on questionnaires of some US enterprises, and investigators' subjective assessments, seasoned with opinions from some research institutes about Made in China 2025, have been lacking in facts and data. A large amount of the information quoted was not accurate and complete, and did not come from reliable sources. Instead, it was led by the vague introduction of "reportedly" when mentioned in the investigation report.

Many theses and research reports quoted in the investigation report are based on assumptions, which cannot be used as evidence for investigations. Also, some Chinese government policies the investigation quoted from have already been adjusted or are even outdated, which means they should not be used as evidence anymore.