CHINAMacroReporter

China, Ai, & the Coming U.S. Industrial Policy

‘The government will have to orchestrate policies to promote innovation; protect industries and sectors critical to national security; recruit and train talent; incentivize domestic research, development, and production across a range of technologies deemed essential for national security and economic prosperity; and marshal coalitions of allies and partners to support democratic norms.'
by

|

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence

March 11, 2021
China, Ai, & the Coming U.S. Industrial Policy
Chart from the 'Final Report' by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence

I have followed China's efforts to take the lead in artificial intelligence since Li Kejiang announced the 'Made in China 2025' plan in 2015.

  • What I haven't paid much attention to is AI in the U.S.

That changed a couple of weeks ago when I read the 756-page 'Final Report' of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, an organization created by Congress and chaired by former Google CEO, Eric Smidt. The Report concluded:

  • ‘China possesses the might, talent, and ambition to surpass the United States as the world’s leader in AI in the next decade if current trends do not change.’
  • ‘If the United States does not act, it will likely lose its leadership position in AI to China in the next decade and become more vulnerable to a spectrum of AI-enabled threats from a host of state and non-state actors.’

And what actions should the U.S. take?

  • ‘The government will have to orchestrate policies to promote innovation; protect industries and sectors critical to national security; recruit and train talent; incentivize domestic research, development, and production across a range of technologies deemed essential for national security and economic prosperity; and marshal coalitions of allies and partners to support democratic norms.'
  • ‘The Commission is not calling for a state-directed economy, a five-year plan, or China-style “military-civil fusion.” '
  • ‘But this is not a time for abstract criticism of industrial policy or fears of deficit spending to stand in the way of progress.'

That last point was the only part of the Report that was outdated.

  • Rather than criticize industrial policy, leaders from both the Democrats and the Republicans are embracing it.
  • And goodness knows neither side fears deficit spending.

Then there are semiconductors. Even before the current shortage of semiconductors, former President Trump raised the alarm about vulnerabilities in the U.S. supply chain.

  • Now the Biden administration and Congress are continuing efforts to secure that supply chain.
  • The proposed solution here, as with AI, is a U.S. industrial policy for semiconductors.

In its efforts to counter China and its industrial policy, the Biden administration, with bipartisan support, is itself inching toward adopting industrial policies to meet specific challenges.

  • Not only will this have an impact on the targeted sectors, it will also represent a return to how the U.S. addressed such challenges in the past.

As now National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, wrote a year ago:

  • 'Looking to U.S. history, from the early years of the republic to the era following World War II, shifts in grand strategy have from time to time necessitated a change in economic philosophy—from mercantilism to laissez-faire absolutism to Keynesianism to neoliberalism—and national security arguments have proved critical to securing that change.'
  • 'The same is true today as the United States enters a new era of great-power competition with China and grapples with powerful forces like inequality, technology, and climate change.'
  • [More on Mr. Sullivan's push for industrial policy below at #3]

Still, despite all the noise on the left and right, there is still no sign of an industrial policy for AI, semiconductors, or anything else.

  • But that is going to soon change.
  • Industrial policy American-style is coming.

Here are my report and commentary on these challenges and the arguments for an American-style industrial policy as the way to secure the U.S semiconductor supply chain and to compete with and win against China in AI.

More

CHINAMacroReporter

February 17, 2022
'A Fateful Error'
As the 1904 cartoon from Puck magazine shows, this isn’t the first time in the past 100 or so years that Russia has shattered the peace. [Or has been defeated, as it was in 1905 by the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War.]
keep reading
February 2, 2022
Ukraine, Taiwan, & the 'Nightmare Scenario'
This in no way diminishes the calamity of a war with China. But the ability of the U.S. to wage that war would not be diminished by having to fight Russia at the same time.
keep reading
January 18, 2022
This is Mr. Xi's Big Year - and Nothing Better Spoil It
Every politician going into an election wants a strong economy. Xi Jinping is aiming to be reelected (and all indications are he will be) to a third five-year term at the National Party Congress this autumn. So Mr. Xi will ease (and stimulate ) as much as he can without creating major headaches to deal with after his reelection - all in the name of 'stability.'
keep reading
January 13, 2021
Kurt Campbell & Biden Asia Policy
In today’s issue: 1. Kurt Campbell: Biden's 'Indo-Pacific Coordinator' / 2. 'How America Can Shore Up Asian Order' by Kurt Campbell
keep reading
January 9, 2021
'Matt Pottinger resigns, but his China strategy is here to stay'
‘Even though Pottinger’s name was largely unknown to the public, his influence on U.S. foreign policy will be felt for years to come.’
keep reading
January 9, 2021
'The Relevant Organs' Pro Tip: 'You Definitely Need a Show Trial'
Spitballing here, GOP friends, but Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson and Marjorie Taylor-Greene would make an excellent Gang of Four, if you need a show trial.
keep reading
January 9, 2021
How the Chinese reacted to the incident at the Capitol
In this issue: 1. China Reacts / ‘On Double Standards’ - 'Chinese netizens jeer riot in US Capitol as "Karma," say bubbles of "democracy and freedom" have burst' - 'A Few Tweets from Hu Xijin 胡锡进, Editor of The Global Times' / 2. ‘Architect of Trump China Policy Resigns’ - 'Matt Pottinger resigns, but his China strategy is here to stay' / 3. A Pro Tip from 'The Relevant Organs' - 'Dealing with Insurrectionist Leaders the Chinese Way'
keep reading
January 9, 2021
'On Double Standards'
‘Besides, facts are there, beyond anyone's denial, regardless of whether they came up in the Chinese media reports or not.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'Mo money, Ma problems - Chinese trustbusters’ pursuit of Alibaba is only the start'
'Chinese trustbusters long resisted hobbling an industry seen as world-beating, and backed in Beijing. Now, as in the West, they fret that a few giants control indispensable services—e-commerce, logistics, payments, ride-hailing, food delivery, social media, messaging.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'Mo Money, Ma Problems'
In today’s issue: 1. Eurasia Group| ‘Top Risks of 2021’ / 2. Biden & the EU-China Investment Agreement / 3. The EU-China Investment Agreement: Pro & Con / 4. China's Antitrust Investigation into AliBaba
keep reading
January 6, 2021
PRO | 'The Importance of the EU, China Investment Deal'
‘But we should not have waited for the Biden administration to sort things out. Wait for what? We don't know if China will be more responsive if the three parties sit together. We don't have a timeline. Shall we wait another two or three years?’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'China and E.U. Leaders Strike Investment Deal, but Political Hurdles Await'
‘China appeared eager to reach an agreement before Mr. Biden takes office in January, calculating that closer economic ties with the Europeans could forestall efforts by the new administration to come up with an allied strategy for challenging China’s trade practices and other policies.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'China’s Pro-Monopoly Antitrust Crusade'
‘But Chinese regulators are unlikely to stop at Alibaba; China’s entire private sector has a target on its back.’
keep reading
January 6, 2021
‘Top Risks of 2021’: CHINA
'Overall, this year will experience an expansion of a high level of US-China tensions.'
keep reading
January 6, 2021
CON | 'Europe has handed China a strategic victory'
“We’ve allowed China to drive a huge wedge between the US and Europe.”
keep reading
January 6, 2021
'With Concessions and Deals, China’s Leader Tries to Box Out Biden'
‘Mr. Biden has pledged to galvanize a coalition to confront the economic, diplomatic and military challenges that China poses. China clearly foresaw the potential threat.’
keep reading
January 5, 2021
'Sansha City in China's South China Sea Strategy: Building a System of Administrative Control'
‘Sansha City, headquartered on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, has created a system of party-state institutions that have normalized administrative control in the South China Sea. This system ultimately allows China to govern contested areas of the South China Sea as if they were Chinese territory.’
keep reading
January 1, 2021
Competition With China Could Be Short and Sharp
‘The bad news is that over the next five to ten years, the pace of Sino-American rivalry will be torrid, and the prospect of war frighteningly real, as Beijing becomes tempted to lunge for geopolitical gain.’ / ‘Historically, the most desperate dashes have come from powers that had been on the ascent but grew worried that their time was running short.’
keep reading
October 7, 2020
'Rivers of Iron': Changing the Face of Asia
‘But what's happened now is that Southeast Asia is rich enough to contemplate such infrastructure and that the Chinese have the technology, money, and high-speed rail industry so that they can both finance or help finance and build it.’
keep reading
August 27, 2020
Why China's Economy is Growing Faster than Others
‘First is China's relatively aggressive and decisive measures on the COVID public health crisis itself that managed to get the pandemic under control much faster than the other large economies.’ ‘The relative success in controlling the pandemic translates into how much people are willing to go back to their normal lives, to their jobs, and the like.’
keep reading
May 20, 2020
The Chinese Communist Party Fears Ending Up Like the Soviet Union
‘The propaganda ministry - within four to six weeks - managed to turn China into a problem for Europeans. China’s standing in Europe is eroding by the day.'
keep reading
May 13, 2020
The Party is Infallible
'The Hong Kong demonstrations can never be because of policy mistakes by the Communist Party itself.’ During our interview, Tony Saich of the Harvard Kennedy School told me: ‘Hong Kong, with its responses to the demonstrations, and the Coronavirus are both illustrative examples of how the culture of the Communist Party and the traditions it's built up over almost a hundred years reflect the way it behaves when it's confronted by certain crises.’
keep reading
May 6, 2020
The Phase One Trade Deal
‘The good news is that 80% of our members said they thought the Phase One agreement was a good thing.' 'But only 19% said it was worth it.' 'What the 80% said they are happy about was that there no more new tariffs were coming immediately.’
keep reading
May 2, 2020
South China Sea & Taiwan
'It would not be accurate to say China claims the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory because the Chinese are unclear about what exactly their claim is and what it is based on.'
keep reading
April 29, 2020
Why Inflation Should Not Be A Problem
‘This is a crisis where the first chair is held by the public health officials, and the second chair is held by the fiscal authorities. We at the Fed have the freedom to be able to move relatively quickly, but we're the third chair here, trying to help out where we can.’
keep reading
April 25, 2020
China, America, & the 'Jaws Syndrome'
‘Both Trump and Xi have a fundamental political divide problem that the COVID-19 epidemic has exposed and made more apparent – and made substantially worse.’
keep reading
April 22, 2020
Why We Need Stronger Global Institutions
‘The trade war was actually about the dissemination of knowledge, knowledge transfer, technological transfer.’ ‘A great irony. We need global institutions or arrangements to deal with trade, technology, and health because individuals, corporations, and national governments cannot.’
keep reading
April 18, 2020
The Pandemic's Impact on Trade
‘There are some people who would say that there was already a retreat from globalization underway.’ ‘The tools of globalization - enormous reductions in the cost of transportation and communication - remain.’ ‘But the marginal utility actually of further advances is declining – that would be one way to put it.’
keep reading
April 11, 2020
The Pandemic May Increase China's Economic Strength vis-à-vis the U.S.
‘Well, I think people around the world are rightly suspicious of the Chinese as they are probably equally suspicious of the Americans.'
keep reading
April 30, 2018
'Big lessons from the faulty analysis that spiked the Shanghai stock market'
ProTips from Andrew Polk, Trivium China On April 24, equity analysts interpreted a phrase used in a Politburo meeting readout to signal a new round of economic stimulus. And, the Shanghai stock market, one of the world's worst performers, spiked 2%. On April 25, having much earlier advised and protected clients, Andrew Polk of Trivium China published an analysis in Trivium's daily (and free) Later, Andrew and I talked about how he reached his conclusions. His explanation is a masterclass in how experience, discipline, and some tedious slogging, combined with a sound analytical framework, lead to good China analysis.
keep reading
April 18, 2018
New super-agency, National Supervision Commission—and China's massive government restructuring
'With government restructuring, the biggest thing is the creation of an entirely new branch of government: the National Supervisory Commission. Its entire job is to overlook every single public official in China. It is an institutionalization and deepening of the corruption crackdown that we've seen over the past few years.'In all, Andrew highlighted four major actions from the Two Sessions: 1.Chinese government restructuring 2.The policy roadmap 3.Personnel 4.The legislative agenda + the constitutional amendments
keep reading
April 16, 2018
The Chinese Government’s 9 Economic Policy Priorities in 2018 (and beyond)
[China Econ Observer] 1.Supply-side Structural Reform 2.Innovation 3.The “three critical battles” 4.Deepening reforms 5.Rural revitalization 6.The regional development strategy 7.Increasing consumption and improving investment 8.Opening up 9.People’s wellbeing
keep reading
April 10, 2018
U.S.-China trade dispute: Will China Weaponize the RMB and U.S. Treasury bonds?
U.S.-China trade war: collateral damageConsider the soy bean. 'China is threatened retaliatory tariffs on U.S. soybeans. The U.S. is one of the largest producers of soybeans. If China's not going to buy them, we're going to have an excess capacity.'' So, last week, we saw a soybean selloff.''But there was a complete dislocation in whole soybean supply chains. Downstream products, like soybean oil, didn't move at all in the same way.'
keep reading
April 5, 2018
Behind the U.S.-China trade dispute: 'The West's China gamble has failed.'
What's the root cause of the current friction between the U.S. and China? The West's disappointment that China did follow the western model but its own, argues Ed Tse, CEO of Gao Feng Advisory Company (a member of the China Analyst Network). [Ed's solution] look to the similarities between China and the West, especially in the tech sector, and be alert to China's evolution toward better IPR, market access, and other contentious issues, not just the remaining shortcomings. Below is a video of my discussion with Ed and excerpts from both the interview and his South China Morning Post op-ed, 'Chinese innovation with US characteristics? Maybe China and the West aren’t that far apart, in business at least.' Ed presents insights that differ greatly from the China Echo Chamber in the U.S. Let me know what you think.
keep reading
March 8, 2018
How Trump's tariffs impact China's trade/currency relations with Japan & Korea
[China markets update with TRACK's Bob Savage] 'The currency markets are embroiled in trying to figure out whether the Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum are good or bad for the U.S. economy and the U.S. stock market.'
keep reading

Heading

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.