House members made it clear this seek that America’s technology strategy going forward will have to encompass actions to counter the growth of China-based tech firms, and protect United States-based infrastructure and the domestic tech industry from Chinese government control.
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology took expert testimony at a Feb. 28 hearing on how to create a national science and technology strategy that will help to maintain America’s technological superiority over China.
“The national strategy will ensure that our time, energy and funding for federal research and development will be focused on the most important challenges facing our country,” said Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., chairman of the committee, along with the threat that the “Chinese Communist Party poses to our scientific leadership.”
One of the main debate points at the hearing was the need to expand technological innovation by “region-based areas,” so that many states and cities across the U.S. could benefit from the proposed national tech strategy.
Deborah Wince-Smith, President and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, listed off the benefits of a decentralized approach.
“We are calling for expanding and investing in place-based innovation to develop a fully utilized untapped potential of talent in our country and upskilling a workforce and forging the public private investments and partnerships throughout our country, not just in the metropolitan cities and coast lines,” said Wince-Smith.
The push to counter China’s technology growth also stems from the widespread belief that China is stealing intellectual property from American firms and the government.
“We must confront Chinese technological theft and aggression,” Wince-Smith said. “Beijing, like Washington, understands that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and quantum science will decisively shape tomorrow’s societies, economies and battlefields and that these innovations are overwhelmingly being developed in the private sector.”
