Science and Technology have significantly advanced the quality of life in numerous ways, impacting health, communication, education, transportation, increasing connectivity, making daily tasks more convenient, and providing vast range of entertainment. Despite the progress in Science and Technology, many problems, such as climate change, clean energy, pandemics, food insecurity, etc., have no solutions yet. By isolating each other, China and the US delay solutions reaching the masses.
Competition among researchers is good to some extent, so is collaboration among researchers. However, the chase for supremacy between China and the US, by banning each others technology, is hurting all. China was the first to ban US technology (e.g. Google), because it would not allow the required censorship by the Chinese. Now it has been both ways.
The recent release of DeepSeek AI Chatbot showed that China can develop a Chatbot without superior chips. Science progresses incrementally by improving what is available or thinking entirely out of the box and new. In this case, the Chinese have taken the second path, partly because they were denied NVIDIA super chips. This battle between the US and the Chinese confirms the adage - a pen is mightier than a sword.
US companies wanted to use brute force, faster chips that consume large amounts of energy. Bill Gates started promoting nuclear reactors to power AI. I think some other tech companies have invested in nuclear reactors. A more intelligent algorithm that uses slower chips and requires less energy has won the battle. This also supports the thesis that the primary resource of a country is its people. 1.4 Billion Chinese will always be greater than 350 million Americans. Of course, the population needs to be educated and disciplined - Chinese are, and Indians are not there yet.
On the other hand, suppose superior NVDIA chips were available to the Chinese scientists? The DeepSeek would have been even more efficient and comprehensive than what it is now. An opportunity missed.
The sad truth is that the US and its allies ban new and efficient technologies from China (solar panels, smartphones, electric vehicles, social media (Tik Tok), or AI (DeepSeek)), citing National security when they are more worried about losing markets in the short term. The Australian government recently banned DeepSeek from being on government phones. It does not want its employees to use an efficient chatbot when it intends to make them more efficient and competitive than their contemporaries around the world. Why ban proven and efficient technologies from your own workforce? Why compete with one hand tied to the back? What an irony!
When the West is boycotting the Chinese Technolgy, China progresses, so, are many third world countries, who have no qualms accepting the latest (Chinese) Technologies. Many of them have better internet facilities, EVs etc. than what we have in Australia. That's a sad fact.
Collaboration can open up new markets for China and the US. When globalization was promoted in the early 1990s, the case West made was that globalization would open 100% of the global markets instead of a mere 5% in the US. This had been a very positive move, which lifted about 1/3rd of the global population out of poverty within 30 years. China had a significant role – it made technology affordable to the masses in the third world. A typical example is the cheaper smartphones made in China, accessed by people experiencing poverty who could not afford iPhones.
Of course, there were Chinese phones, such as Huawei, which rivaled the iPhones and Samsungs. Instead of competing with Huawei, the US and its allies chose to ban Huawei on the grounds of National Security.
BTW, I think the reason given for banning Chinese technology is that the Chinese will access our data, and it is detrimental to our National Security, is pretty weak. I doubt there's hardly any data that is not available in public databases, which will only be available if we use Huawei. All Governments publish census data, including home addresses, demography, income data, and data on share market performance, all available publicly. All scientists publish their findings, and their peers' acceptance of their conclusions leads to career advancement.
The US companies successfully used the manufacturing strengths in China to produce their products on a mass scale, cheaply, and make them available to the rest of the world. Once, the CEO of Apple lamented that if he summoned all US technicians with a particula expertise, they would fill an auditorium, but in China, he would need an athletic stadium. Another US commentator said there are more honors students in Chinese universities than all University students in the USA.
Technological competition between the US and China leads to tensions and mistrust. Collaboration can help build trust and reduce the risk of conflict. By working together on shared goals, both sides can foster a more cooperative and stable international environment. Collaboration fosters cultural understanding and intellectual exchange, which can lead to more creative and inclusive solutions. It also helps bridge differences and build mutual respect between societies.
The potential benefits of collaboration between the US and China in technology development are immense. By working together, both sides can drive innovation, leverage their strengths, and fill gaps in their capabilities to address global challenges and create a more prosperous and sustainable future for all.
