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US-Asean relations
China

Southeast Asia’s reliance on China may upend US-EU plan for global tech standards

  • ‘China is a fundamental partner to these countries in technology, trade and production’, so asking them to choose sides will be a challenge, US experts say
  • The EU and US recently deepened their commitment to ‘work together to align our technology standards in a way that’s consistent with our democratic values’

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US and EU plans to promote global tech standards, including on future 6G technology, could run into problems when it comes to China, said panelists in Washington. Image: Shutterstock
Robert Delaneyin Washington

Washington’s efforts to promote global tech standards developed with the EU may falter in Asia because the region is too dependent on Chinese products, a panel of experts said on Wednesday.

While not officially an effort to counter China, the EU and US deepened their commitment to “work together to align our technology standards in a way that’s consistent with our democratic values” after the second meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Paris on Monday, a statement said.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to bolster ties with Southeast Asian countries through a strategy that proposes to foster greater interoperability with the region. “Cyberspace and critical- and emerging-technology areas” are key in this initiative, according to a White House fact sheet.
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As part of this plan, the administration is expected to announce details of its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) while Biden is in Tokyo this week, a plan that is meant to bring the US into greater alignment with Southeast Asia on many fronts, including labour and environmental standards.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (centre) and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speak with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian before Trade and Technology Council talks in Paris on Sunday. Photo: AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (centre) and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speak with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian before Trade and Technology Council talks in Paris on Sunday. Photo: AP

“It’s not clear what digital interoperability will mean” since the US seems intent on excluding China, said Mary Lovely, a China expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington-based think tank.

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