Much of the US-China strategic rivalry in the last few years has played out as a struggle for technological supremacy. The Trump years were characterized by an unabashed abandonment of the discourse of free trade and international cooperation in favour of the language of “decoupling” and nationalism. This was accompanied by tariffs, import bans, and export controls, including pressure on non-US companies to adhere to US law, and was met with retaliatory measures from China. While the strident discourse between the two countries has seen ebbs and flows, the ongoing friction around technology access has had far reaching consequences. This panel aims to understand the direct and also indirect effects of the ongoing technology battles between the US and China. It is part of an ongoing series of panels organized by the India China Institute on emerging political, technological, and economic arrangements that are replacing an older international order that used to be dominated by US leadership. Some of the issues that this panel will explore include: the impacts on companies which have had to “China-proof” or “US-proof” their operations; the redirecting of investments and shifting away of manufacturing away from China to other parts of the world; new geographies of technological innovation that include battles for supremacy in AI, biotech, smart cities, and climate change technologies; the impact on academic networks and flows of students and experts; and finally geopolitical consequences as governments have had to take sides in new infrastructural, technological and military alliances.

Speakers

Yu Zhou

Professor
Department of Geography
VASSAR COLLEGE

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Pranay Kotasthane

Deputy Director
Chair of the High-Tech Geopolitics Program
TAKSHASHILA INSTITUTION

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Yujia He

Assistant Professor
Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

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