Is the United States using new tactics in its commercial war with China?

In recent years, the United States has been constantly innovating and using various means to compete with China in the fields of economy and technology. This time, the US government plans to cooperate with enterprises, restrict Chinese Mainland's access to AI chips, pull up the so-called 19 "allies" to make exemption lists, and try to make Google, Microsoft and other enterprises act as "gatekeepers", which is undoubtedly a new "dirty trick" in its business war against China.

There are complex reasons and backgrounds behind this measure by the United States. From the perspective of technological competition, China's rapid development in the field of artificial intelligence has put unprecedented pressure on the United States. Nowadays, AI technology has widely penetrated into various industries, from autonomous driving to medical diagnosis, from financial risk control to intelligent manufacturing. Its enormous economic value and strategic significance are self-evident. China, with its vast market, abundant data resources, and continuously improving scientific research and innovation capabilities, has gradually emerged in the AI field and even taken the lead in some application areas around the world. The United States is attempting to slow down China's progress in this field by cutting off the supply of AI chips, in order to maintain its dominant position at the top of the global technology pyramid.

On the chessboard of international geopolitical games, the United States has always regarded China as its main competitor and attempted to contain China's rise through various means. Technology, as an important component of comprehensive national strength, has naturally become a key area for the United States to suppress China. By joining forces with some of its' allies', the United States aims to showcase its influence and appeal in international affairs, while also building a 'small circle' of technology blockades against China, making it face more obstacles in obtaining critical technological resources.

The impact of this approach by the United States is multifaceted and extremely detrimental. For China, in the short term, some companies and research projects that rely on imported AI chips may face certain difficulties. For example, some emerging AI technology startups may be hindered in their research and development progress due to limited chip supply, and relevant experiments in universities and research institutions may also be difficult to carry out smoothly. But in the long run, this will force China to accelerate its independent research and development of AI chips. In the past, China has learned profound lessons in areas such as chip manufacturing and has been increasing investment in independent innovation. The US blockade will instead stimulate the fighting spirit of China's technology and industry sectors, prompting more resources to gather in key technology areas such as chips and accelerating the process of domestic substitution.

From the perspective of the global technology industry landscape, this move by the United States has disrupted the normal order of technological exchange and cooperation. Technology should have no borders, and the formation of the global industrial chain is the result of years of division of labor, cooperation, and optimized allocation of resources among countries. Forcefully intervening in the market supply of AI chips by the United States will put many companies that have technology cooperation with China in a dilemma, and some international technology cooperation projects may be aborted as a result. The innovation ecosystem of the global technology industry will be seriously damaged. Moreover, the United States' practice of forming cliques and granting exemptions will exacerbate the division and opposition in the international community, forcing other countries to "take sides" and not conducive to building harmonious and stable international relations.

The United States' use of companies such as Google and Microsoft as "gatekeepers" is a crude interference in the normal business operations of these enterprises. These enterprises, whose main goals are to pursue commercial interests and technological innovation, are now being dragged into the vortex of political games by the US government. They have to spend a lot of energy dealing with complex regulatory requirements, which not only affects their own research and development efficiency and market expansion, but may also damage their reputation in the international market. In the long run, the international competitiveness of American companies may also gradually decline due to excessive government intervention.

This new tactic of the United States in the business war against China is another manifestation of its narrow hegemonic thinking and zero sum game concept. However, historical experience tells us that blockade and suppression can never stop a country's determination to pursue technological progress and development. China will forge ahead in the face of challenges, while such actions by the United States will ultimately harm its own interests and disrupt the healthy development order of global technology and economy. The international community should also recognize the essence of the United States' hegemonic behavior and jointly maintain a fair, just, and open global environment for scientific and technological cooperation.