US-China tech war: why a digital trade deal with Japan and South Korea is key to gaining the upper hand | South China Morning Post

There is an aspect of the US-China technology race that is more consequential than simply mining more data or developing better technology. It is writing the rules of the digital road. In this competition over standards, whichever nation first strikes a trilateral deal with technology leaders Japan and South Korea will secure a strategic chokepoint in the digital architecture of Asia. Far more so than China , the United States generally prefers an open, integrated global market that promotes unencumbered flows of data. In practice, Washington has established high standards for protecting data, reducing digital services taxes, and enforcing intellectual…