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Tech war between China and the US does not need to have just one winner
- People love to pit the United States and China against each other, but the two are on very different paths in terms of technological domination
- Technological advancement is not a zero-sum game and innovation is not about winning and losing – both countries can greatly benefit from each other's progress
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The China-US technology race is on, but why does it matter? What happens if America wins? Besides US President Donald Trump’s ego getting larger and AT&T making more profit, who cares?
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What happens if China wins? Would all American companies move to China? I don’t think so.
Everyone craves a good David and Goliath story. A race with a loser and a winner sounds exciting. Everything seems more urgent and more important when the race is on.
People love to pit the United States and China against each other, but I am convinced China and the US are on two very different paths in terms of technological domination. This is not a win-lose situation for China or the US.
Within e-commerce, China’s market is dominated by players such as Tmall, Taobao and JD.com with Pinduoduo and Xiaohongshu on the rise. I don’t see how any American citizens would abandon Amazon or eBay while the Chinese players are effectively not available outside China.
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India bans dozens of Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat, after deadly border clash
India bans dozens of Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat, after deadly border clash
Within content and media, platforms such as iQiyi, Tencent video, Youku, Bilibili, Douyin, Kuaishou and Ximalaya FM are dominant players that most in the West have never heard of. Meanwhile, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon and Spotify are staying strong without tapping into the China market.
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