Attempts to throttle Chinese tech are self-defeating mind game: China Daily editorial

As always, the Joe Biden administration has provided no evidence to back its justifications for blacklisting dozens of Chinese entities on Dec 16 on the grounds that they are weaponizing technology.

Craig Singleton, a former US diplomat and an adjunct fellow at a Washington think tank, who is allegedly behind the move, told the media that China's new technology could include "the stuff of science fiction, such as brain-controlled weaponry" that would allow "a Chinese commando to discharge a weapon with just a thought, not a trigger finger".

Which exposes the great lengths Washington is going to in its efforts to whitewash its baseless long-arm jurisdiction.

Thanks to the Biden administration's continual belying of its stated intention to keep the United States' relations with China on a healthy development track, there are about 260 Chinese entities, State-owned and private, on its Entity List, which stretch across almost the whole spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, ranging from quantum communications and 5G to artificial intelligence and robots. The entities on the blacklist include almost all of China's major players in these fields.

That the blacklisted Chinese entities — which consist of institutes, companies, universities and individuals — form almost complete industrial chains for the relevant technologies makes it clear that the US is intent on ensuring China's technology endeavors hit a dead end so as to secure the US' technological supremacy.

But the scale of the industries and technologies in which China seeks excellence, and the extent to which China has already integrated into the world market system mean that for the US to tame China by repeating what it did to subdue Japan and France late last century is almost a mission impossible. Not to mention the close economic and trade connections between the Chinese and US economies.

It is not only because of the direct costs of doing so — breaking the global supply chains and dividing the world market — but also its far-reaching impacts as the institutional foundation for global governance will be undermined paralyzing the collective responses to global challenges.

The protracted COVID-19 pandemic and the foundering global economic recovery, which are both attributable to the US' divisive endeavors, should be a wake-up call to the US decision-makers.

When strategists in Washington are willing to accept science fiction conceits, such as brain-controlled weaponry, as the basis for important decision-making, they cannot objectively shoulder the US' international responsibilities as the world's sole superpower.

And when they become increasingly hysterical in scapegoating, smearing and containing China, and trying to imprison the world in the information cocoons they make, they should feel lucky that China has retained its common sense.

China is not interested in a dogfight, and it is still exercising strategic restraint, and keeping its door open for dialogue and cooperation with the US.

That is by no means because of weakness, but thanks to its foresight and sense of responsibility that, as a major country dedicated to seeking national rejuvenation and promoting common development of the world, it must always stand on the right side of history.

The US has been and will continue to be a paper tiger when it acts against the trend of the times.