As the United States races to maintain its technological edge on the world stage, tech “diplomats” and immigrant talent – especially in quantum technology – are two of the keys to staying ahead of China in the global tech race, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle said today.
Tech diplomats – or specialized envoys tasked with shaping international technology policy, securing supply chains, and countering China’s growing influence – are emerging as a key resource to the U.S., explained Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., during an event organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
While tech diplomats aren’t a brand-new concept, they do play a crucial role in identifying potential supply chain vulnerabilities in the U.S. semiconductor, and Sen. Young said they could aid in the global technology race by providing both a “good offense” and a “strong defense.”
“As we look to this age of AI and the increased need for semiconductors to create AI solutions, to the extent we can harmonize our standards … with our partners and our allies, there’s a real geopolitical benefit to that,” said Sen. Young. “You can imagine [tech diplomats] also playing a role in research collaboration and other important roles moving forward … and I’d say they’re part of the special team [within] this full strategy.”
The senator explained that the expanding role of tech diplomats is vital to strengthening international collaboration, especially as the U.S. considers complete reliance on domestic supply chains – a strategy that also could lead to higher inflation.
“Digital trade is going to be very important to the health of our innovation ecosystem,” Sen. Young added. “Our innovators need some markets to sell these things … so the Foreign Commercial Service and our tech diplomats can be incredibly helpful [by] opening up foreign markets so that we can keep growing as it relates to our tech power.”
However, not all international collaboration essential to strengthening U.S. technology comes through diplomacy, said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. Speaking at the CSIS event about quantum technology, he explained the crucial role of immigrant quantum experts in keeping the U.S. competitive as it risks slipping behind China in the quantum race.
“We’re neck-and-neck in terms of kind of the state of our technology versus theirs, the difference is that they are spending a lot of resources to take the lead … with that type of investment we can’t just sit idly by and let them race past us,” said Rep. Krishnamoorthi.
“We just don’t have enough talent … many of them are immigrants, and our immigration system is really screwed up right now to the point where … it’s causing researchers and others to question whether America should be the place where they do their research,” he said. “We can’t afford to have that, we [have] got to attract and retain the very best talent from around the world in this field.”
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has signed various executive orders to crack down on immigration, including issuing an order to end birthright citizenship and announcing a $5 million “gold card” policy to allow wealthy migrants to buy a green card.
While the Trump administration has made moves toward limiting immigration, Rep. Krishnamoorthi noted that the administration has also signaled support for H-1B visas which allow foreign nationals to work in the United States temporarily and require the visa holder to have a specialized body of knowledge. In January, Trump called H-1B visas “a great program,” while pledging to discontinue to program during his first term.
“In some of these high-tech fields, I think those that type of innovation in the immigration space would be very welcome,” said Rep. Krishnamoorthi about possible expansion to H-1B-related programs.
