China is copying Russia’s election interference playbook

Three discussions about the global technology challenges were hosted by me. China is one of the most important tech players in the world. Why are the chip export controls so important? How do we see them from a moral perspective? Reports last week of China-based bot networks that were trying to influence US politics ahead of today's midterm elections proved to be extremely timely.

These conversations gave me some needed clarity about what is going on on the other side of the Pacific. The China news cycle has always been busy and it is good to have a chat and understand where we are at.

If you didn't attend the event this year, here are the China-related highlights I think you'll be interested in.

What’s the strategy—and real rationale—behind US restrictions on China?

It has been several years since US-China relations took a dive, and academics and tech workers on both sides are resigned to that fact. Matt Sheehan, a global technology fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told me that he is on edge because there are a lot of decisions being made in rapid succession.

The restrictions on chip exports to China have been increased by the Biden Administration. The administration's moves are not just a matter of adding more Chinese companies or more chip technologies to a list of targets, but a change in the US government's mindset when it comes to containing China

For a long time, the main question on Chinese export control was whether to do as much damage as you can today or to preserve your leverage.

The US has been selling technology to China in hopes that it won't develop its own self-sufficient economy. "I think this latest control kind of settles that debate within Washington DC on the side of doing damage today" We have to use this leverage while we can because people decided that leverage is not going to last forever.

It is important to scrutinize the justification for the export controls. Is it true that they are based on addressing human rights concerns, or are they just more political games? The policies are morally indefensible if the reason for them is not because building weapons is bad or building different types of surveillance systems is bad.