Unsurprising considering the U.S. has been arresting and imprisoning Chinese and American academics with highly prestigious positions in well known universities because they forgot to mention a conference in China they were paid to speak at a decade ago.
Are the Chinese carrying out espionage in the U.S.?
Yes.
But Indoubt China’s key AI CEOs that need to be warned not to travel to the U.S. will be the ones doing espionage for the Chinese government. If they were, then the govt wouldn’t need to announce not traveling publicly…they’d just pass on the message through their handlers.
The point is that the Chinese (and now, even allies) governments would be justified in thinking that the U.S. despite its reputation for a fair legal system, will arrest or detain a Chinese citizen for no legitimate reason at all.
Is the opposite also true? Should the US government be warning its AI CEOs not to travel to China? Absolutely.
But it’s disappointing that the US’s reputation has fallen so far over the past decade.
The US stole it's IP as well when it was behind. Sam Slater was known as "The Founder of the American Factory System" in the US. In the UK he was known as "Slater the Traitor", because he stole some very important IP.
Adam Smith wasn't a big fan of IP either. He was all about owning the means of production. China was taking notes. The dog ate America's homework.
India which was at that was relatively in a good economic state, should've been a industrial super-power. Except, the "benign" British scuttled not only industrialization, but India's own traditional education and social systems.
As has been shown by what the US has done repeatedly to other countries — and what has now been done to them — you don't need much to derail a country's progress and have them spiral into regressive regimes...
Do you think morals have changed over the past century? Even back then, Slater knew what he was doing was criminal (in Britain), and immoral (to the British). IP laws weren't invented after Sam Slater; American industrialists knew Britain's laws, but they still welcomed Slater because they wanted to move up the value chain. American morals haven't evolved since Slater - the only thing that changed is that they are no longer the upstart but the incumbent. The same will happen to China in 50-100 years: they too will become very concerned about losing IP to whatever ambitious upstart country.
Also, if you want something more recent, France/Airbus accused the US intelligence apparatus of economic spying to benefit Boeing in the 90's - so decades ago. "National Interests" remain the same after decades or centuries. I don't doubt France does the same for its companies.
It is not a crime in China and morality is relative and no one has the moral high ground (unless god shows up). That being said, lots of IP was transferred to China willingly to access its market. It’s shortsightedness not theft that broke the empire.
In my opinion, all developing countries could do it and should do it. You either stay in line or push up, that's the unfortunate fate of developing countries. Rules are not set to protect the poor, they are set to keep poor people in places.
I don't think they are asserting morality or blame. That's just what the game is. We specialized into intellectual property while de-industrializing. The product we make as a country is information, which can be copied across a legal barrier. They products they make are necessary to operate in this world.
