The “uneasy alliance” between America’s tech elite and Donald Trump’s populist right base could undermine the country’s competitiveness against China in the long run by cutting off talent and global markets, according to analysts.
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They also pointed to growing ties between the tech sector and the defence industry – including a new initiative enlisting senior tech executives to the Army Reserve – saying the “tech hawks” could step up threats against China.
The political influence of tech leaders has expanded since Trump’s return to the White House in January, and analysts say they could have a big impact on China strategy in the coming years – though the public fallout between Trump and billionaire Elon Musk highlights the fragility of the alliance.
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Shi Bowei, a research fellow at the Zhejiang Party School, said the trend of US tech firms deepening cooperation with the defence sector was one to watch.
“Will tech leaders shift away from their traditional stance of avoiding excessive foreign entanglements and instead embrace a more assertive, interventionist posture – evolving into aggressive ‘tech hawks’ or even zealous advocates of militarism?” Shi wrote on Tuesday in American Studies, a journal published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
He also said tensions between the tech elite and the Make America Great Again camp could ultimately undermine efforts by the tech right to reshape US politics.
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Shi said the positions, influence and political trajectory of America’s “pragmatic and opportunistic” tech elite would have a huge bearing on the outcome of US-China tech competition.
On China policy, he noted that most of Trump’s tech backers were pushing for continued pressure to contain Chinese technological development and for further decoupling in hi-tech sectors.