But the example shows what is at stake when barely known bodies negotiate technical specifications. Industry norms and standards such as the Internet Protocol are strategic resources in the economic war between China, Europe and the US. Those who prevail not only write down supposedly trivial matters such as data formats and radio frequencies, they also program the basic values on which technological innovations are based. The Internet, for example, reflects the liberal ideals of the USA, and that is exactly what China wanted to change with the new protocol.
In the future, the EU and the USA want to take a closer look at the aspirations of the Chinese. The fight for the standards of the future is one of the top priorities for the “EU-US Trade and Technology Council” (TTC), for which top representatives from both sides will meet for the first time this Wednesday.
In Pittsburgh, Americans and Europeans want to set up a working group whose task it is to “develop approaches for coordination and cooperation in critical and emerging technology standards,” says a draft of the final declaration that is available to the Handelsblatt. Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are cited as examples.
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It is about “defending our common interests and democratic values in international standardization activities for critical and emerging technologies”. The plan is to exchange “information on technical proposals in certain technology areas” and to look for opportunities to “coordinate international standardization activities”.
What are the Chinese planning?
Vestager, who will lead the EU delegation together with her counterpart Valdis Dombrovskis, told Handelsblatt before leaving that the case of the new internet protocol has taught the EU to be “a little more systematic” and “more vigilant” in order to avoid standards , “Which are very political”, to find out at an early stage and to be able to react to them.
Because there are “so many organizations that set standards”, it is important to work with partners “so that the right people can do the right thing”. However, the EU does not want to shake the principle that in market economies private companies propose standards, not the state.
Internationally recognized standards are particularly important for the export-oriented German economy. Germany, the USA, France, Great Britain and Japan are strongly represented in standardization bodies. However, more and more Chinese are advancing to key positions. What are you doing there? The Chinese government officially praises the international standardization organizations such as ISO at every opportunity.
However, that does not mean that Beijing is adhering to the resolutions passed there. At the end of the 1990s, almost 70 percent of the standards introduced in China had been adopted from international organizations. In 2017 it was only 21 percent. The Chinese are increasingly defining their own norm.
Strategy can help Huawei to install its 5G technology worldwide
This is based on a strategic approach: in sectors in which Chinese companies are strong, they contribute to international standardization and then also follow the decision made in their home market. This can then help Huawei, for example, to install its 5G technology worldwide. In sectors in which Chinese companies are still lagging behind, they have no chance of shaping international standards.
That is why they define their own norm and make it more difficult for foreign competitors to enter the Chinese market. Tim Rühling, an expert at the German Society for Foreign Policy, explains: “Chinese proposals should not be rejected per se in the standardization committees. But you should look at the origin of a proposal. “
For a long time, technical standards were not an issue for politics. That made it easy for China to expand its influence. But the standardization organizations have long been dealing with sensitive issues: with software interfaces, transmission protocols and artificial intelligence. “It would be better if we didn’t accidentally stumble upon problematic cases,” says Rühling. “The governments would have to go through the proposals systematically in the standardization bodies.”
Support for a transatlantic coordinated approach comes from the parliaments: “Those who set standards also set the direction in a market,” warns the FDP MEP Svenja Hahn. “Technical norms and ethical principles for the application of technologies such as artificial intelligence must be set by democracies.” And Metin Hakverdi, China reporter for the SPD in the Bundestag, demands: “We must now seize the opportunity to set global standards – that is possible only in partnership with the USA. “
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