On the eve of G7, the United States released the National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies
In April, Bloomberg then news broke that U.S. President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order during the G7 summit to restrict U.S. companies Chinese high-tech industry development, according to sources familiar with the matter, the new restrictions will include quantum computing in addition to the semiconductor and artificial intelligence fields already involved previously.
A prophecy. on May 4, the White House released the U.S. government's Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) National Standards Strategy, which, among other things, specifically states that quantum technology will play a key role in strengthening the U.S. innovation ecosystem, global competitiveness.
According to a White House fact sheet, the strategy aims to strengthen the foundation of U.S. technology and safeguard consumers while promoting U.S. leadership and competitiveness in international standard setting. The strategy emphasizes federal support for CET international standards, which will accelerate private sector-led standards efforts and promote U.S. competitiveness and innovation.
The strategy focuses on four key objectives to prioritize the development of CET standards: investment (Investment), participation (Participation), workforce (Workforce), and integrity and inclusivity (Integrity and Inclusivity).
To enhance investment in pre-standardization research and promote innovation, the U.S. government is calling on the private sector, universities, and research institutions to make long-term investments in standards development. The government will also engage a broad range of stakeholders, including foreign partners, to fill gaps and enhance U.S. participation in CET standards development activities.
According to the Administration, the U.S. standards workforce has not kept pace with the growth of standards organizations, particularly in the CET. The U.S. government will invest in educating and training stakeholders to more effectively contribute to technical standards development.
The Fact Sheet states that it is critical for the nation to ensure that the standards development process is technically sound, independent, and responsive to widely shared market and societal needs. The government intends to leverage the support of like-minded allies and partners to promote the integrity of the international standards system, ensure that international standards are established through a fair process based on technical merit, and promote broad participation from countries around the world.
Subsequently, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) coordinates U.S. private sector standards activities, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) coordinates federal government participation in standards activities. Industry associations, consortia, and other private sector groups work together within this system to develop standards to address specific challenges.
The move could be a precursor to escalating U.S. restrictions on commerce with China.
The U.S.-China trade friction began in 2019 with former U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. 2022, and in October the U.S. began directly restricting investment, exports and talent flow to China in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors. In the field of AI, the U.S. BIS added 28 Chinese companies, universities and research institutes involved in high-performance computing chips and computer goods to the Commercial Control List (CCL), including Dahua, Hikvision and other security IC companies, the "four little dragons of AI" Shangtang Technology, Kuangwei Technology, Yuntu Technology, Itu Technology, domestic High-performance processor leader Haiguang Group. In the semiconductor field, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued draft restrictions on semiconductor exports to China, including nine new rules covering the export of advanced integrated circuits, high-performance computing systems, semiconductor production equipment, and restrictions on U.S. persons participating in the operations of Chinese semiconductor companies.
Bloomberg reported on April 21 that President Joe Biden would sign an executive order in the coming weeks restricting U.S. companies' investments in key Chinese industries, according to sources inside the White House. Discussions on the restriction have been ongoing for nearly two years, and a formal announcement is scheduled for May 19 during the G-7 summit in Japan.
People familiar with the matter said the U.S. has been trying to rope its G7 countries into joining the investment restrictions on China's high-tech industries, hoping to make progress in talks next month. However, other countries are not expected to take similar steps immediately, said one of the people familiar with the matter, adding, "The most likely outcome is to express support for the executive order after it is signed."
The executive order is expected to cover not only semiconductors and artificial intelligence, but also the quantum computing industry, the person familiar with the matter predicted. The restrictions will focus on investments that can play an active role in the management of companies in China, including venture capital and private equity funds, as well as joint ventures with technology transfer relationships.
Despite the windfall, the U.S. capital markets are still reacting tamely to the news: investment firms see little impact on their business, as the many previous restrictions have made them less enthusiastic about investing in China's technology industry.
According to PitchBook, the volume of U.S. private equity fund deals involving acquisitions of shares in Chinese companies in 2022 has shrunk to about a quarter of what it was a decade ago.Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Marvin Chen also said, "As U.S. investment continues to decline, the Chinese tech industry will become more dependent on domestic capital."
The U.S. attempt to curb the development of China's high-tech industry is clear, and as one of the strategic emerging industries, the quantum computing industry is bound to be affected by the policy restrictions. The key to the development of the industry is to strive to achieve independent control of the entire process technology, the recent construction of China's first optical quantum chip production line has been launched, a number of domestic quantum chips officially released, we have reason to believe that the resonance of technological progress, policy enhancements, targeted investment will help China's quantum technology industry break through the blockade, flourishing.
Original strategy:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/US-Gov-National-Standards-Strategy-2023.pdf
[1]https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Hra456UlJ3wCC2eC8nlmpQ
