Tech Cold War Is Here – U.S. Isn’t Winning | China’s Threatening Western Acquisitions | China Will Not Save Huawei, and more

To Deal with China, Trump Should Learn German(Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times)
Germany is a manufacturing superpower that would be a decisive ally, along with the rest of the European Union, in a trade war against China.

The Tech Cold War Is Here — and the U.S. Isn’t Winning(Chris Larsen, The Hill)
Like it or not, the U.S. is already fighting an economic and technological cold war against China. While we should aim to eventually return to the optimism and promise of a broad China/U.S. partnership, the time for that is not now. This is a major challenge to our country, and we must do everything we can to avoid losing our economic leadership.
By now, we all know the rivalry in 5G and AI, part of China’s $1.4 trillion technology commitment. Less attention has been given to an equally consequential struggle: who will control our future global financial systems.
The power and privilege Americans enjoy from the dollar being the world’s reserve currency cannot be overstated, but a moment of fundamental change is upon us. Much of the world’s financial infrastructure is based on antiquated technology from the 1970’s and faces dramatic change from digital wallets, blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and interoperability protocols. For China, this is a once-in-a-century opportunity to wrest away American stewardship of the global financial system, including its ultimate goal of replacing the dollar with a digital yuan.
China is playing the long game with a series of strategic moves that should make the U.S. paranoid about maintaining our lead. Unfortunately, the U.S. is woefully behind.
Just as the U.S. set clear, consistent policies that won the internet revolution, it must do the same with financial technology and blockchain.
China is currently winning the financial battle of the technological cold war. As a result, it’s more likely China will dictate important parts of a new global financial system, an unnecessary loss that we had all the tools to win.

Chinese Diplomats Helped Visiting Military Scholars in the U.S. Evade FBI Scrutiny, U.S. Says(Kate O’Keeffe and Aruna Viswanatha, Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. closed the Chinese consulate in Houston and ordered China to remove the researchers after finding what officials say was an intelligence-gathering operation aided by diplomats to collect cutting-edge scientific research from American universities

Loving the Alien(Stephen Rocrick, Rolling Stone)
How UFO culture took over America

Why China Will Not Save Huawei From Trump’s Devastating New Blow (Zak Doffman, Forbes)
There’s a surprise twist in the aftermath of Trump’s ramp-up of his sanctions against Huawei—China’s relative silence. A week on from the U.S. administration issuing what some analysts have described as a “death sentence,” Huawei is fast realizing that China is not about to fire a silver bullet to turn this situation around.
China denounced Trump’s latest attack as “stark bullying” and “shameful,” with a government spokesperson telling the media that “the Chinese government will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard Chinese companies’ legitimate rights and interests.” But there were no bombastic threats or retaliation against U.S. firms operating in China. The comments were notably muted.

GU Professors Teaching Classes on China Take Online Learning Precautions in Light of Possible Security Threats (Hansen Lian, The Hoya)
Some Georgetown University professors teaching classes about China are taking precautionary measures to protect students and faculty from possible security threats during online learning in the fall. 
Some faculty worry lecture recordings and other technical vulnerabilities in Zoom may endanger students and instructors who criticize the Chinese government. Faculty who spoke with The Hoya are particularly concerned some sensitive course material may violate the broad and vague stipulations of the latest Chinese national security law. The law, enacted by the Chinese government June 30 in response to ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, is an open-ended prohibition of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers against the Chinese government.