Tech Diplomacy Now: US-EU Trade and Technology Council Meeting
Senior officials from both sides of the Atlantic met in Washington and held a series of meeting focused on AI safety standards, cybersecurity, semiconductors, green energy, and export controls.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Top News of the Week
Latest News
Technology Strategy and Policy
Artificial Intelligence
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Critical Minerals
Synthetic Biology
Quantum
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Energy and Climate
Opinion and Commentary
The Last Word
Top News of the Week – Another US-EU Trade and Technology Council Meeting
After being postponed in November, the United States and the European Union held their fifth meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). Senior officials from both sides of the Atlantic met in Washington and held a series of meeting focused on AI safety standards, cybersecurity, semiconductors, green energy, and export controls.
Key Takeaways:
Immediately following the 5th TTC, the United States announced the creation of an AI Safety consortium of over 200 AI companies and stakeholders.
The EU appears poised to impose sanctions on foreign companies, including companies from the PRC, that are providing material support to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The United States has imposed these sanctions for over a year on companies from China and other countries, and while the EU announced its intention to sanction foreign companies nearly a year ago, the body has been unable to gain consensus from its member states.
It is unclear what the TTC is accomplishing beyond serving as an unofficial summit for U.S. and EU leaders to meet every six months and build connections. Much of what the two sides wish to accomplish is handled at the member state level within the European Union, so the format has proven difficult as a venue for concrete actions
More Background:
Readout of U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Fifth Ministerial Meeting – The White House, January 31, 2024
If the US and EU don’t set AI standards, China will first, say Gina Raimondo and Margrethe Vestager – Atlantic Council, January 31, 2024
A stronger partner: How Europeans can make the most of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council – ECFR, January 26, 2024
Transatlantic Trade and Technology: Partners or Rivals? – CEPA, January 25, 2024
Latest News
Egypt threatens to suspend Camp David Accords if Israel pushes into Gaza border town – Politico, February 11, 2024
Trump says he would ‘encourage’ Russia to attack NATO allies who don’t pay up – Politico, February 11, 2024
Hamas Military Compound Found Beneath U.N. Agency Headquarters in Gaza – WSJ, February 10, 2024
U.S.-China Tensions Have a New Front: A Naval Base in Africa – WSJ, February 10, 2024
China’s Military and Surveillance Capabilities Have Been Boosted by U.S. Funds, House Report Says – WSJ, February 8, 2024
Iran-backed hackers interrupt UAE TV streaming services with deepfake news – The Guardian, February 8, 2024
Technology Strategy and Policy
How Tech Giants Turned Ukraine into an AI War Lab – Time, February 8, 2024
Abu Dhabi AI group G42 sells its China stakes to appease US – Financial Times, February 8, 2024
US House panel accuses VC firms of aiding Chinese military and genocide – Financial Times, February 8, 2024
Biden Poised to Limit American Personal Data Going to China – Bloomberg, February 7, 2024
Paperwall: Chinese Websites Posing as Local News Outlets Target Global Audiences with Pro-Beijing Content– The Citizen Lab, February 7, 2024
China may add ‘superabrasives’ to list of restricted defense materials – C4ISRNet, January 26, 2024
Artificial Intelligence
Facial recognition technology could be used in Hong Kong to fight crime, maintain national security: police chief Raymond Siu – SCMP, February 11, 2024
AI firm considers banning creation of political images for 2024 elections – The Guardian, February 10, 2024
Biden-Harris Administration Announces First-Ever Consortium Dedicated to AI Safety – U.S. NIST, February 8, 2024
US says leading AI companies join safety consortium to address risks – Reuters, February 8, 2024
UK gov’t touts $100M+ plan to fire up ‘responsible’ AI R&D – TechCrunch, February 5, 2024
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Beijing slams Five Eyes for cyberattack allegations – Asia Times, February 10, 2024
Huawei Raided In France On Suspicion Of Improper Conduct: Judicial Source – Barron’s, February 9, 2024
European Commission to open investigation into TikTok, Bloomberg reports – Reuters, February 9, 2024
Chinese hackers infiltrated plane, train and water systems for five years, US says – The Guardian, February 8, 2024
US to stop accepting new enrollments for low-income internet subsidy program – Reuters, February 5, 2024
Chinese malware removed from SOHO routers after FBI issues covert commands – Ars Technica, January 31, 2024
Critical Minerals
Can royalties help Australia's critical minerals lift off? – Reuters, February 12, 2024
US and EU Want Greater Links to Loosen China’s Grip on Critical Minerals – Bloomberg, February 12, 2024
Hunt for Critical Minerals Draws World Powers to Saudi Arabia – WSJ, January 12, 2024
Synthetic Biology
What a $200 Billion Blockbuster Drug Reveals About Big Pharma’s Playbook – WSJ, February 5, 2024
DOD Launches Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program to Bolster Domestic Supply Chains – U.S. Department of Defense, January 31, 2024
Open-endedness in synthetic biology: A route to continual innovation for biological design – Science Advances, January 19, 2024
Synthetic Biology: Nature's Tools, Redesigned – Technology News, December 22, 2023
Quantum
Breakthrough in single-photon integration holds promise for quantum computing, cryptography – Phys.org, February 12, 2024
The future of quantum computing – Brookings, February 12, 2024
How the quantum world can help scientists engineer biology – EurekAlert, February 9, 2024
DARPA selects Microsoft to continue the development of a utility-scale quantum computer – Microsoft, February 8, 2024
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Russia using Elon Musk’s Starlink to coordinate attacks, Ukraine claims – Stuff, February 11, 2024
How monumental is China’s challenge to build its own jet engine for the C919 as it seeks aviation self-reliance? – SCMP, February 11, 2024
The critical role of space in modern warfare and the imperative of joint space capabilities in Europe – Space News, February 9, 2024
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
China may be making more advanced chips despite U.S. sanctions — but it still faces big problems – CNBC, February 11, 2024
China on cusp of next-generation chip production despite US curbs – Financial Times, February 7, 2024
This Chinese city wants to be the Silicon Valley of chiplets – MIT Technology Review, February 7, 2024
TSMC to build second Japan chip factory, raising investment to $20 bln – Reuters, February 6, 2024
China bets on open-source chips as US export controls mount – Reuters, February 5, 2024
Energy and Climate
Duke Energy to remove Chinese battery giant CATL from Marine Corps Base – Reuters, February 9, 2024
EU mulls emergency aid for collapsing solar producers – Politico, February 6, 2024
America Wanted a Homegrown Solar Industry. China Is Building a Lot of It. – WSJ, February 6, 2024
Opinion and Commentary
What no expert saw coming: The rise of Japan – Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Washington Post, February 12, 2024
Geopolitics Are Changing. Venture Capital Must, Too. – Hemant Taneja and Fareed Zakaria, Harvard Business Review, February 10, 2024
“DIU 3.0”: Scaling Defense Innovation for Strategic Impact – Douglas Beck, CNAS, February 7, 2024
The real wolf menacing the news business? AI. – Jim Albrecht, Washington Post, February 6, 2024
How Primed for War Is China? – Michael Beckley, Foreign Policy, February 4, 2024
The West Did Not Invent Decoupling—China Did – Agathe Demarais, Foreign Policy, February 1, 2024
The Last Word
“A sustainable China policy is about holding in one’s head multiple truths at the same time and working iteratively to reconcile them. We are clear-eyed about the competitive structural dynamics in our relationship with the PRC. But we’re also keenly aware that the United States and the PRC are economically interdependent and share interests in addressing transnational problems and reducing the risk of conflict.”
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, January 27, 2024
About: Tech Diplomacy Now
The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader of the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies, and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.