WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Edge Project, a coalition of two dozen domestic organizations, released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address.
“President Biden got it right when he said that winning the competition with China should unite all of us, and that keeping America strong requires investing in innovation and the industries that will define the future. We could not agree more, which is why we caution against policies that could weaken U.S. tech companies and inadvertently help Chinese-backed tech companies,” said Doug Kelly, CEO of the American Edge Project.
“Rather than help us win the tech competition against China, misguided policies could hand China a decades-long advantage by handcuffing our biggest technological assets when it comes to economic and national security. China is the greatest geopolitical threat facing America and our allies, and to counter this threat, the United States must support our domestic technology sector with pro-innovation policies.”
As a reminder of the high stakes we face and why it is critical that policymakers at all levels get this right, here are seven reasons why the United States must invest in domestic innovation to check China’s ambitions:
Seven Reasons Why The U.S. Must Invest
in Innovation to Check China’s Tech Ambitions
- China views tech and innovation as critical to supplanting the U.S. as global leader.
- To be the leader, China is investing trillions in advanced tech capabilities – AI, 5G, quantum, etc. – and is making rapid gains.
- A Harvard study found China has bypassed the U.S. in high-tech manufacturing and will overtake us within the next decade in other key areas.
- China is catalyzing a growing global wave of digital authoritarianism that threatens democracy, privacy, and an open and accessible internet.
- The Communist Party’s expressed goal is to increase the world’s “dependence on China“ – in tech and other supply chain items – to serve as a deterrent against Western action.
- U.S. private sector tech companies are vital bulwarks against China’s tech ambitions. Each year, the top six U.S. tech companies invest more in research and development than the entire Pentagon.
- It matters which country – and which set of values – builds the future. Will the future be driven by Western values or the values of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)?
BACKGROUND
The American Edge Project is a coalition of domestic organizations representing a cross-section of U.S. innovators who are dedicated to telling the story about technology’s positive influence on America’s economy and the vital role innovation plays in our society. Former New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, former U.S. Representative Chris Carney, and former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley A. Smith are directors of the American Edge Project. AEP’s National Security Advisory Board is comprised of Former White House Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend; retired four-star General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., United States Marine Corps (USMC), who served as former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Michael J. Morell. Former U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) serve as Co-Chairs of the Project’s Economic Advisory Board. Former U.S. Representative Greg Walden (R-OR) serves as the Chair of the Project’s Open & Accessible Internet Advisory Board. Visit AmericanEdgeProject.org for more information.
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