Perspective: China syndromeThe Case That Could Hand the Future to China

What would the future look like if China leads 5G technology? We should contemplate this question because, as Mercy Kuo writes in RealClear Policy, fifth-generation cellular network technology, or 5G, will transform our daily lives with such inventions as autonomous-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and smart cities.

She adds:

Our mobile devices, interconnected with appliances, automobiles, and airplanes will wrap us in a seamless web of service and convenience. But unless U.S. policymakers and business leaders unite with an uncharacteristically singular purpose, this tech-charged future may emerge under standards set by the Chinese Communist Party.

What the moonshot once was to the United States, intellectual property theft and predatory tactics are to China today. A March CNBC poll of U.S. corporations reports that one out of five have had intellectual property stolen by China in the last year, adding to annual losses estimated by the U.S. government to be as high as $600 billion.

She writes:

Despite its self-proclaimed position as a global leader in 5G, China has no monopoly over the 5G industry. That said, armed with American ingenuity and innovations, China is selling 5G equipment around the world at subsidized prices, while waging a strong campaign to dominate international 5G standards-setting bodies. China no longer seeks merely to catch up to U.S. technology predominance, but to surpass it.

China has now announced an initiative to lead in 6-G through a network of satellites. “America is in a battle to frame the future of a technology-driven world and way of life,” Kuo writers. “If we want to maintain U.S. technology leadership and protect our values, we should be clear-eyed about the perilous consequences that could come with losing our unique lead.”