The United States has been warned to stop being “complacent” and engage with the Global South to consolidate its foothold in its escalating technological competition with China.
Developing countries were expected to play an “increasingly critical” role in advanced technology over the coming decades, and their ties with China would probably strengthen, according to the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.
“The United States cannot afford to underestimate the role that will be played by the Global South in shaping global technology competition,” the report said.
“Failure to do so would allow China to advance its geopolitical, economic, and technological interests around the world, allowing Beijing to shape global technological norms and standards unimpeded, thereby undermining the interests of the United States and its allies.”
It added: “The United States cannot afford to be complacent in the global competition in critical and emerging technologies. Doing so will result in falling behind China [in three areas]: geopolitical, economic and normative.”
The tariffs imposed by Donald Trump earlier this month are set to deal a particularly heavy blow to developing countries if they come into force after the 90-day grace pause the US president later announced.
