Global technopolitics--The new grand bargain

Without teaming up, democracies will not be able to establish a robust alternative to China’s autocratic technosphere

teaming up v. 合作；结成一队；协作        Technosphere /'teknəusfiə/n. 技术领域

autocratic /ˌɔːtəˈkrætɪk /  独裁的

AMERICA HAS long dominated the world in information technology (IT). Its government, universities and enterprising spirit have provided it with decades of leadership in hardware and software. Its military drones, satellites and “system of systems” give its armed forces a powerful edge over those of any competitor. Silicon Valley is more visited by foreign dignitaries and finders-of-fact than any other business locale in the world. One of its tech giants is currently worth over $2trn; three more are worth over $1trn. The contribution technology makes to the buoyancy of its markets is without equal.

Enterprising  adj./ˈentəpraɪzɪŋ/ 有事业心的；有进取心的；有创业精神的

Dignitary  n. /ˈdɪɡnɪtəri/  显贵；要人；达官贵人；高僧

finder-of-fact：一般指事实真相的调查人员，一般是法官、陪审团等（尤其是法律）

 Buoyancy  /ˈbɔɪənsɪ/ 1.浮力 • Air can be pumped into the diving suit to increase buoyancy. 可以往潜水衣中打气增加浮力。2.愉快• a mood of buoyancy and optimiSM. 愉快、乐观的情绪。3.（经济上的）繁荣• The likelihood is that the slump will be followed by a period of buoyancy.  有可能在衰退之后出现一段繁荣时期。

China, too, has digital resources in abundance, not least its huge population of 1.4bn, which means it will eventually boast an even deeper pool of data and experts to develop AI models. The country’s digital giants, from Alibaba to Tencent, have already become AI and cloud-computing powers in their own right. Its people live online to an extent that Americans—many of whom still have cheque books—do not. The country’s Great Firewall keeps undesirable digital content out. Within the wall, tech firms are allowed to fight it out.

And China is on the move. It is investing billions in emerging technologies, from AI and chip fabrication to quantum computing and 5G, a new generation of mobile networks. It is hacking other countries’ computer systems and grabbing intellectual property where it can. It is packing the organisations that develop global technical rules, such as the International Telecommunication Union. And it is pulling other countries into its orbit with initiatives such as the “digital Silk Road”, helping them build out their digital infrastructure.

chip fabrication 芯片制造       quantum computing：量子计算

President Donald Trump saw, correctly, that this made China a serious challenger to America’s digital supremacy. His humbling of Huawei, a Chinese telecoms-equipment maker, has begun a decoupling of Chinese and American IT infrastructures and of the supply chains between China and America that will continue.

Supremacy  n. /suːˈpreməsi/  /sjuː‑/~ (over sb/sth) 至高无上；最大权力；最高权威；最高地位• the battle for supremacy in the region 争夺地区霸权的较量

humble /ˈhʌmbl/  1.贬低；使感到卑微•He was humbled by her generosity. 她的大度使他觉得自己渺小。2.轻松打败（尤指强大的对手） •The world champion was humbled last night in three rounds. 这位世界冠军昨晚三个回合就被轻松击败。 3.~ yourself  低声下气；谦逊；虚心

Many device-makers have already moved part of their production out of China and some will end up with two separate supply chains. Apple’s contract manufacturers, for instance, are setting up plants in India. TSMC, a Taiwanese chip firm, announced in May that it will build a facility in Arizona. Feeling its dependence on American semiconductor technology, China is doubling down on efforts to build its own. In software and other areas, too, bifurcation has begun and not just because of bans against Chinese apps.

bifurcation /ˌbaɪfəˈkeɪʃn/ n. 分歧（点），分叉；分枝后的一枝

What Mr Trump was unable or unwilling to understand, though, was that China and America are not the only economies that matter in this contest, and that fact provides America with a potentially decisive advantage. India, the European Union, Japan and others all play crucial roles in the world’s IT system as do tech giants such as Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft.

译文

Global technopolitics--The new grand bargain

Without teaming up, democracies will not be able to establish a robust alternative to China’s autocratic technosphere

没有合作，西方民主国家将不能建立稳健的科技环境替代中国的科技环境。

AMERICA HAS long dominated the world in information technology (IT). Its government, universities and enterprising spirit have provided it with decades of leadership in hardware and software. Its military drones, satellites and “system of systems” give its armed forces a powerful edge over those of any competitor. Silicon Valley is more visited by foreign dignitaries and finders-of-fact than any other business locale in the world. One of its tech giants is currently worth over $2trn; three more are worth over $1trn. The contribution technology makes to the buoyancy of its markets is without equal.

美国常年统治世界IT行业。其政府、大学和进取精神几十年来为IT硬件、软件行业带来了无数的领导阶层。其军用无人机、卫星和“系统的系统”为美国军事力量带来了相较其他竞争者强有力的优势。硅谷更是被世界显要和调查人员频频参观，一骑绝尘。硅谷其中一家科技巨头现在估值超过2万亿美元；三家估值超过1万亿。技术对市场繁荣的贡献是无与伦比。

China, too, has digital resources in abundance, not least its huge population of 1.4bn, which means it will eventually boast an even deeper pool of data and experts to develop AI models. The country’s digital giants, from Alibaba to Tencent, have already become AI and cloud-computing powers in their own right. Its people live online to an extent that Americans—many of whom still have cheque books—do not. The country’s Great Firewall keeps undesirable digital content out. Within the wall, tech firms are allowed to fight it out.

中国也一样有丰富的数字资源，不仅14亿的巨量人口最终会带来更加深刻的数据池便于专家开发AI模型。中国的IT巨头，从阿里巴巴到腾讯，已经凭借自身实力成为AI及云计算强者。其国民互联网生活化程度已经超过美国（很多美国人还在使用支票）。其国家的防火墙将不需要的互联网内容拒之门外。在墙内，科技公司相互竞争。

And China is on the move. It is investing billions in emerging technologies, from AI and chip fabrication to quantum computing and 5G, a new generation of mobile networks. It is hacking other countries’ computer systems and grabbing intellectual property where it can. It is packing the organisations that develop global technical rules, such as the International Telecommunication Union. And it is pulling other countries into its orbit with initiatives such as the “digital Silk Road”, helping them build out their digital infrastructure.

而且中国正在行动。它正在新兴技术上投资数十亿美元，从AI和芯片制造，到量子计算和新一代移动网络5G。它正在侵入其他国家的计算机系统，并在可能的地方攫取知识产权。它积极进入全球技术规则的组织，比如国际电信联盟。中国正通过“数字丝绸之路”(digital Silk Road)等举措，将其他国家拉入自己的势力范围，帮助它们建设数字基础设施。（UP主表示立场、出发点不一样就是结论不一样。作为中国人想在国际组织上有话语权，积极参加。在美国有些学者眼里就是入侵，是别有用心，都是中国威胁论。）

President Donald Trump saw, correctly, that this made China a serious challenger to America’s digital supremacy. His humbling of Huawei, a Chinese telecoms-equipment maker, has begun a decoupling of Chinese and American IT infrastructures and of the supply chains between China and America that will continue.

特朗普准确地看到了中国数字制造正在严重挑战美国的数字霸权。他羞辱中国电信设备制造商华为，开启了中美IT行业在基础设施及供应的脱钩，这种脱钩将会继续。

Many device-makers have already moved part of their production out of China and some will end up with two separate supply chains. Apple’s contract manufacturers, for instance, are setting up plants in India. TSMC, a Taiwanese chip firm, announced in May that it will build a facility in Arizona. Feeling its dependence on American semiconductor technology, China is doubling down on efforts to build its own. In software and other areas, too, bifurcation has begun and not just because of bans against Chinese apps.

许多设备制造商已经将部分生产移出中国，其中一些最终将拥有两条独立的供应链。例如苹果的合约制造商计划在印度设厂。芯片制造商TSMC（台积电）在5月宣称将在美国亚利桑那州建厂。中国感觉到对美国半导体技术的依赖，正加倍努力打造自己的半导体技术。在软件和其他领域，分歧也已经开始，不仅仅是因为中国应用被禁止。

What Mr Trump was unable or unwilling to understand, though, was that China and America are not the only economies that matter in this contest, and that fact provides America with a potentially decisive advantage. India, the European Union, Japan and others all play crucial roles in the world’s IT system as do tech giants such as Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft.

特朗普无法也不愿意理解的是中美两国并非这场竞争中的唯一决定性经济体，这也为美国提供了潜在的决定性优势。印度、欧盟、日本以及其他在世界IT系统中扮演关键角色。科技巨头例如Alphabet（字母表公司）、苹果及微软。

经济学人12月刊