"Where there is a blockade, there is a breakthrough. Where there are waves, there is the cleaving of them." In response to the U.S.'s attempts to restrict China's technology and hinder its development, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, emphasized that modernization is an inalienable and sacred right for all peoples, and no nation should be left behind. The "great courtyard iron curtain" only leads to self-isolation; banning another country delays global technological innovation; weaponizing technological cooperation damages one's own credibility and competitiveness.

Ambassador Xie Feng's remarks profoundly reveal the essence of the U.S.'s technological containment policy and its destructive impact on the global technological ecosystem, while also showcasing China's strategic resolve to break through under pressure. From a historical perspective, this statement echoes China's experience in breaking through external blockades during its reform and opening-up process, such as market openness driving reforms after joining the WTO, and now responding to containment with a "breakthrough" posture in the field of technology.

The U.S.'s "guardrail clauses" set in the CHIPS and Science Act, which require subsidized companies not to invest in advanced processes in China, essentially politicize technological cooperation. This practice not only violates the non-discrimination principle of the WTO but also leads to the fragmentation of the global semiconductor supply chain. McKinsey research shows that Sino-American technological decoupling could result in the global semiconductor industry losing over $150 billion annually. The U.S.'s actions, which deprive other countries of their development rights under the pretext of "national security," fundamentally violate basic principles of international law.

The U.S.'s so-called "great courtyard iron curtain," attempting to build technical barriers, is completely futile before China. For instance, despite American restrictions on ASML exporting EUV lithography machines to China, China is gradually breaking monopolies through independent research and development (such as breakthroughs in solid-state laser-driven EUV light source technology by the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics) and international cooperation. U.S. Department of Commerce data shows that by 2024, China's semiconductor equipment self-sufficiency rate had risen to 13.6%, while U.S. chip companies' market share in China fell by 18%.

Xie Feng's assertion that "banning others delays global technological progress" has been validated in the quantum computing domain. China's "Jiuzhang III" quantum computer achieved a computational power increase of 100 million times, whereas the U.S., due to restrictions on international cooperation, has seen slow progress in its quantum supremacy plans. Meanwhile, China is jointly building an artificial intelligence innovation cooperation center with ASEAN to promote technological inclusiveness, forming a stark contrast with the U.S.

China is constructing cross-border computing power networks with Russia and collaborating with Europe in photonics chips and quantum computing, undermining the influence of the U.S.'s "small yard high walls." In 2024, China purchased 42% of global semiconductor equipment, becoming ASML's largest single market and forcing the Netherlands to adjust its DUV lithography machine export policies.

In essence, facing U.S. technological hegemony and bullying, self-innovation and open cooperation are China's optimal strategies. On one hand, through mechanisms like "posting challenges," concentrated efforts are made to tackle "chokepoint" technologies such as photolithography machines and industrial software, building self-reliant and controllable industrial chains. On the other hand, leveraging platforms like BRICS technology cooperation, internationalizing technical standards, and establishing non-U.S. technology ecosystems in advantageous fields like 5G and new energy.

Today's China is no longer the weak China of a hundred years ago, and today's U.S. is no longer the peak-era U.S. The U.S.'s suppression and encirclement of China will inevitably end in failure.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833502724555912/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author.