By Senators Saxby Chambliss and Kent Conrad
For more than eight decades, the United States has stood alone as the wealthiest, most innovative, and most economically prosperous nation in the world. Our preeminence has ushered in an era of unprecedented abundance and unparalleled opportunities for the American people and billions across the globe.
Technology and innovation are driving forces behind our economic success. Every day, American entrepreneurs and tech companies are creating new products and services that create jobs, foster economic growth, and improve the way each of us work, live, and connect.
But the winds may now be shifting. China is determined to supplant the United States as the world’s premier economic and geopolitical power. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has launched several significant initiatives aimed at eroding America’s technological edge and positioning China as the preeminent economic and technological power of the 21st Century. Their “Made in China 2025” plan, for example, channels massive investments into emerging technologies.
Their Artificial Intelligence Development Plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to propel China to global leadership in AI by 2030. Their aggressive 5G research and development initiatives is successfully giving the Middle Kingdom a substantial lead in the race to pioneer the critical technology that will serve as the digital highway infrastructure of the future. And their state-sanctioned mercantilist policies, such as illicit technology transfers and intellectual property (IP) theft, bolster their domestic industries at the cost of countless U.S. jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in economic production and value.
This comes at a pivotal moment. We are on the precipice of a new tech revolution—one in which a collection of next-generation capabilities—such as AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology—promise to fundamentally upend every facet of society.