The role of technology in the US-China trade war

The United States and China are in the midst of a trade war. So far, the U.S. has applied tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese imports and China has retaliated with tariffs on U.S. exports. U.S. tariffs are in response to concerns about China’s economic and trade practices that harm the U.S., in particular, Chinese efforts to acquire U.S. technology. China’s plans to dominate key areas of emerging technology—ranging from artificial intelligence to biotechnology and electric vehicles—have heightened the United States’ concerns over how China is seeking to obtain U.S. technology and the economic implications.

On July 18, the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings and the American Enterprise Institute co-hosted an event to discuss the state of U.S.-China trade relations and the importance of technology to the dispute, to assess U.S. strategy and what might be expected. Joshua Meltzer opened the event with a presentation.

A moderated panel of experts followed. Following the discussion, the panel answered questions from the audience.