With Tech Self-Reliance, China Aims to Outplay America

The global technology bifurcation is accelerating

At the beginning of November, the founder of Huawei, Reng Zhengfei, speaking to students at a coding competition in China, said that Beijing had “no choice” but to build its own technology and stop using American systems and tools. According to Zhengfei, the sanctions on China are the catalyst for China to build its own locally developed options.

Interestingly, the business chief also said that through technology, the US had shown the world that “being open” was the way to lead, and being “closed off” would mean countries fall behind. This could be a shot at America, who in the eyes of countries like China, is turning inward. In Zhengfei’s mind, is China the new defender of the “open world” through technology?