"AI Superpower" from the Inside: The Front Line of the Technological Hegemony Struggle with the United States

2021/07/19

Based on what I saw and heard as a Beijing correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun from April 2017 to August 2020, this book focuses on Chinese technology and the US-China technological hegemony struggle, providing a broad overview.

I believe the three and a half years I spent in China were a major turning point, not only in modern Chinese history but also in the history of US-China relations since the Nixon Shock.

President Xi Jinping consolidated political power through an anti-corruption campaign and strengthened autocratic rule. Driven by an innovation-led digital economy, the economy grew steadily despite slowing down. The expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) reflected China's intention to lead the international order. The break from the "Taoguang Yanghui" (hide your strength and bide your time) policy, said to have been proposed by Deng Xiaoping, became clear.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Mr. Trump took office as president and intensified his confrontational stance toward China, which was attempting to challenge US hegemony. He launched successive offensives against China, including trade friction involving retaliatory tariffs and the technological hegemony struggle that this book focuses on. Although the US presidency transitioned to Mr. Biden in January 2021, the conflict between the US and China continues to deepen, with a tougher stance being taken on human rights. Our country is required to have the wisdom to survive shrewdly amidst the conflict between these two nations.

For a paperback, clarity is important, and there were some episodes I had to cut with regret. However, if there is something that differentiates this book, I believe it is the inclusion of many voices from business leaders. Being able to directly interview key executives such as Ren Zhengfei of Huawei, Jack Ma of Alibaba Group, Morris Chang of Taiwan's TSMC (a key figure in the global semiconductor industry), and Richard Chang (a pioneer in the Chinese semiconductor industry) was a great asset for me as an author.

I was also able to include the raw voices of young entrepreneurs from startups leading innovation. This has been well-received even by experts living in China who know the country inside out.

The publication of this book is a culmination of my own Chinese studies, which I have been working on since I was a student at Keio University. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Emeritus Ryosei Kokubun, who continues to provide guidance from time to time.

"AI Superpower" from the Inside: The Front Line of the Technological Hegemony Struggle with the United States

Naoyuki Fukuda

Asahi Shinsho

272 pages, 935 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.