It’s National Day in China on Tuesday, when it will mark the 70th anniversary of Communist rule with a large military parade and a “mass pageant.” The celebration comes at a challenging time for the country, which is facing a slowing economy, ongoing protests in Hong Kong and a seemingly intractable trade dispute with the Trump administration.
As Quartz senior reporter Gwynn Guilford writes in this week’s field guide about the arrival of 5G, America’s trade war with China isn’t really about trade at all, but rather a disagreement over technology policies, specifically Chinese state support for the construction of its 5G network. That backing means China will beat everyone else to fully functioning 5G by about five years, raising fears that it will have a big head start in the innovation and economic transformation that’s expected to follow.
These fears aren’t only overblown, argues Guilford, they’re downright dangerous. They’ve led the US to try to cut Chinese companies from global supply chains in a way that could harm the long term competitiveness of American tech companies and push higher costs on to consumers. And the damage might not stop there.
You can read her full report here.
Among other member-exclusive China-themed stories for you to read and watch this weekend:
- Our popular Because China series returns with a new episode focused on the Chinese diaspora. In urban centers across the English-speaking world, the Chinatowns of old are giving way to new, modern Chinese settlements. These reflect the more sophisticated tastes of their wealthy, well-educated residents and challenge conventional ideas of the role immigrants should play.
- Last year, more than 200 Chinese startups became unicorns. This year, 12 Chinese companies have reached unicorn status, and the range of industries they represent reflects the rich variety of China’s startup landscape. Check out our newest presentation to learn more about the unicorns—how much money they’ve raised, who their investors are, and a few surprising origin stories.
With best wishes for a restful and thought-provoking weekend,
Xana Antunes
Executive editor, Quartz