Efforts to isolate China put technology leaps at risk, academic says

A Chinese political scholar has raised concerns over the implications of the United States' policy of so-called de-risking for China's technological advancements and international collaboration.

This approach seeks to restrict technology exchanges to exclude China from critical supply chains, obstruct it from moving up the industrial value chain and suppress the country's development, Yan Xuetong, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing said.

The "small yard and high fence "strategy is also geared toward disrupting global collaboration in technological research and development, he said.

Even though the US has said it will not "decouple" from China but instead "de-risk," its efforts to hold China back have accelerated.

Comparing US President Joe Biden's approach to China with that of his predecessor Donald Trump, Yan highlighted a distinct shift toward a more multilateral strategy.

Biden seeks to forge a parallel system to shut China out through "decoupling and severing supply chains" and building "small yards with high fences", departing from the Trump administration's unilateral approach, Yan said.

One observation by Yan pertains to the US' vision of a prosperous China. Such prosperity is oriented more toward improving living standards than bolstering China's national power, he said.

Such a desire for a "compliant "China, prosperous economically but weak militarily, will harm China's autonomy and sovereignty, he said.

This policy resembles a US-style strategy of "seclusion", he said, and instead of engaging in comprehensive competition, the US appears more intent on gaining an edge through targeted blockades.

Nevertheless, Yan said, the US approach is likely to steer China's development toward greater determination in fostering high technology and furthering investments in cutting-edge industries.

Tariff barriers

Amid US transitions from a trade war to a technology war, it is clear that tariff barriers did not succeed in dismantling "Made in China", he said.

China remains resolute in pursuing high technology, unwavering in its commitment to progress, irrespective of efforts to stifle its growth through either a "large yard" approach or a "small yard "approach, he said.

Looking to the future of China-US relations, Yan emphasized the significance of China's focus on internal matters.

He advocates boosting domestic consumption, enhancing investment conditions and accelerating scientific and technological research and development.

True national strength lies in effective domestic policies rather than in foreign maneuvers, he said.