Are We Building Walls between the China and U.S. Innovation Systems

Over the past thirty years China and the United States have become interdependent in the creation of science and technology that fuels the global “knowledge economy.” This interdependence has become subject to growing skepticism in a period of rising geopolitical and security tensions between the two countries. Some advocates in both countries favour “decoupling” this interdependence. Yet the costs of decoupling would be very large. Good policy analysis requires careful attention to the facts about the nature of this interdependence and appropriate risk management strategies. 

About the Speaker

Peter Cowhey is Dean of the UC San Diego School of Public Policy, where he holds the Qualcomm Endowed Chair in Communications and Technology Policy. He is an expert on the future of communications and information technology markets and policy, specializing in U.S. trade policy, foreign policy, the Internet and international corporate strategy. His two most recent books are “Digital DNA: Disruption and the Challenges for Global Governance” and “Transforming Global Information and Communication Markets: The Political Economy of Innovation.” Professor Cowhey also has extensive experience in government. In the Clinton Administration, he served as the chief of the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and negotiated many of the U.S. international agreements for telecommunications and satellite services. He had responsibility for antitrust decisions involving the communications and satellite industries. In 2009, he served a 12-month assignment as the senior counselor to Ambassador Ron Kirk in the Office of the United States Trade Representative, playing a key role in the strategic agenda for trade policy. Subsequently, Cowhey served on a bi-national experts group appointed by the U.S. and Chinese governments to research and advise on innovation policy.

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