In this episode of the Asia Chessboard, hosts USSC CEO Mike Green and Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS Jude Blanchette are joined by Emily Kilcrease, director of the Energy, Economics, and Security program at CNAS, who formerly served as deputy assistant US trade representative and National Security Council director for international trade, investment, and development. They begin by examining the limits of US leverage over semiconductor supply chains and how existing advantages are maintained by the continual innovation and investment of US industry. They then discuss the US government’s capacity to use semiconductor manufacturing chokepoints to slow China’s technological development and the recent expansion of US export controls relating to sensitive high-end technologies. Next, they considered the broader effects of US technology export policies and the need for the United States to adopt a multilateral approach that protects the high-tech industries of allies. They conclude the conversation by considering what form China’s response — and potential retaliation — to the new export controls might take.
The Asia Chessboard is co-produced by the United States Studies Centre and Center for Strategic and International Studies and features in-depth conversations with the most prominent strategic thinkers on Asia. Co-hosts Dr Michael Green (CEO of the United States Studies Centre) and Jude Blanchette (Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies) take the debate beyond the headlines of the day to explore the historical context and inside decision-making process on major geopolitical developments from the Himalayas to the South China Sea.