Trump’s technology export controls will not hold China back – we’ll work harder: science vice-minister Xu Nanping
- Xu says US must learn it is not the only high-end tech exporter
- Chinese innovation comes from its ‘hardworking people’
The Trump administration’s proposed limits on US exports of advanced technologies will not frustrate development in China, but help the country “move up higher” in the rankings of global industries, a senior Chinese official said.
Xu Nanping, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said China will strive harder for innovation as well as seeking technology imports from Japan and European countries if the proposed curbs from the US materialise.
“China has been developing at the medium-to-low end in the global industrial chain,” Xu said at a symposium in Beijing on Tuesday. “If the US decides not to export technology to China, China will be forced to grow its edge at the medium-to-high end.”
To stop China from encroaching on American leadership in advanced technologies, the US Commerce Department has announced that it is seeking public comment by December 19 on whether to impose more export controls on a long list of technologies including artificial intelligence, microprocessor technology, micro-drone and micro-robotic systems, 3D printing, self-driving cars, robots and quantum computing to China.
China has been importing technologies from the US and exporting electronics and other labour-intensive products to the world. While China’s purchases of intellectual property rights have been surging in recent years, the US has accused Chinese companies of technology theft and extensive intellectual property rights infringement.