The technological divide between the U.S. and China is giving rise to two competing centers of global development. This was discussed by Olga Ponomareva, an expert at the Economic Policy Foundation of the Gaidar Institute.
According to the expert, the roots of the current situation date back to the 2017–2020 trade war, when technology became one of the key areas of conflict between the countries.
“As the first phase of the US-China trade war unfolded, the technology sector became one of the key points of contention. The U.S. accused China of forced technology transfer, which became one of the reasons for imposing broad tariff restrictions. At the same time, export control measures were introduced against Huawei and ZTE, leading to a restructuring of global supply chains and an acceleration of China’s import substitution,” noted Olga Ponomareva
According to her, the further tightening of restrictions continued under the Biden administration, while China, in turn, began to develop its own system of technological regulation.
“As a result, the technological policies of the U.S. and China are forming two poles—one U.S.-centric and one China-centric—in global technological development,” emphasized Olga Ponomareva.
Speaking about the implications for Russia, the expert noted a growing orientation toward the Chinese technological ecosystem alongside the parallel development of domestic solutions in specific areas, including AI and software.