Tue August, 2020, Age: 4 years
China is reportedly drafting a new strategy nicknamed “China Standards 2035” which is aimed to complement the contentious and now reframed “Made in China 2025” development plan. Although the U.S. has sought to block Chinese companies from dominating the global internet and emerging technologies like 5G through export controls and aggressive diplomatic pressure, it has failed to subvert China’s growing influence in international standards-setting bodies, which will significantly strengthen Chinese companies’ ability to influence the market for future technologies. Already, Huawei is the top filer of standard-essential patents for 5G, and leads in 5G-related contributions to 3GPP, an international organization that develops telecom standards. Japanese researchers have also found that China submitted more technical documents related to wired communications specifications to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) than any other country last year, and is the fifth-largest contributor to ITU as well. Japanese researchers and policymakers are wary of proposed standards on smart cities that China has submitted to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which will influence the still-developing international regulatory regime for IoT devices.