Program
Technology and International Affairs
U.S.-China Tech Relations

The world’s technological future will be defined in large part by the United States and China, two tech superpowers that are increasingly locked in conflict and distrust. Yet the old international rulebook provides little guidance for how Washington, Beijing, and others can find security and prosperity in a digital age wracked by great power confrontation. Carnegie develops practical insights to help policymakers manage U.S.-China tech tensions and, where possible, create pathways for stable co-existence. We draw on our rich network of government and private sector contacts, and our deep knowledge of technology and security policy, in both countries and around the world.

event
Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology
August 21, 2023

Please join Anu Bradford for an engaging online discussion of Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology and the choices we face as societies and individuals, the forces that shape those choices, and the huge stakes involved for everyone who uses digital technologies.

In The Media
in the media
China’s Spy Balloon Is a Teachable Moment

Espionage is a fact of life, yet U.S. discourse often fails to distinguish severe incidents from banal ones. If this pattern continues, the next Chinese spying scandal—however trivial—may spark a true bilateral crisis.

· February 9, 2023
MSNBC
In The Media
in the media
The Fevered Anti-China Attitude in Washington Is Going to Backfire

merica has embarked on one of its most difficult and dangerous international challenges since the Cold War. The task: reversing decades of economic and technological integration with its chief rival, China.

· December 15, 2022
paper
After the CHIPS Act: The Limits of Reshoring and Next Steps for U.S. Semiconductor Policy

As America’s conscious foray into industrial policy, the CHIPS Act is an important political breakthrough and a potentially transformative piece of legislation.

· November 22, 2022
In The Media
in the media
America’s Risky New China Policy

Washington has dramatically expanded controls on technology flowing to and from Beijing by imposing aggressive sanctions targeting China’s chip and semiconductor industry. What impact will these changes have on the broader U.S.-China relationship?

· November 1, 2022
paper
Engaging China on Strategic Stability and Mutual Vulnerability

The U.S. and Chinese governments, for the foreseeable future, will have the resources to keep each other’s society vulnerable to nuclear mass destruction.

· October 12, 2022
In The Media
in the media
Biden Is Now All-In on Taking Out China

The United States has waged low-grade economic warfare against China for at least four years now, b ut Washington’s endgame for this conflict has always been hazy. A regulatory filing from a little-known federal agency may give the strongest hint yet of U.S. intentions.

· October 12, 2022
commentary
U.S. Sanctions on Hikvision Would Dangerously Escalate China Tech Tensions

Adding the company to the SDN List could lead to unpredictable consequences for the United States and the world.

· May 6, 2022
report
U.S.-China Technological “Decoupling”: A Strategy and Policy Framework

A partial “decoupling” of U.S. and Chinese technology ecosystems is well underway. Without a clear strategy, Washington risks doing too little or—more likely—too much to curb technological interdependence.

· April 25, 2022
research
Managing U.S.-China Tensions Over Public Cyber Attribution

Public attribution is an important yet sensitive issue in cyberspace interaction between China and the United States. The gaps that exist between the two countries’ understanding of the issue have posed a growing negative impact on maintaining stable and healthy China-U.S. relations, both in this area and in broader terms.

  • +1
· March 28, 2022
In The Media
in the media
What Does China’s Centrally Backed Digital Currency Mean for the World?

A global network of similarly-structured CBDCs could ultimately facilitate lower-cost payments relative to U.S.-regulated channels, thus diminishing the power of U.S. sanctions and curbing dollar usage in cross-border trade.

· November 3, 2021
article
Three Takeaways From China’s New Standards Strategy

The Chinese government has unveiled plans to reshape a vast array of technical standards that shape the products and services that consumers around the world rely on, but Beijing’s designs could spawn unintended consequences.