The book explores how technological competition is linked to the geopolitical contest between the US and China, and why Europe and the European Union (EU) have become involved in this competition for technological supremacy.
China’s political and economic rise, the concurrent US withdrawal from the region, and the rise of new technologies such as 5G, and AI creates a new and more unstable geopolitical environment in the region. In addition, the EU, far from being a global player, finds it increasingly difficult to play a leading role. The book analyses the nature of the ultimate goal of technological competition between the United States and China and shows how and why did the EU become the centre of this struggle. The author argues that the EU has become the new battlefield of the technological struggle since wealthy societies in the EU make this competition attractive and profitable to both the US and China.
By shedding light on the geopolitical motivations of China and the question of whether the US can contain China’s advance in this domain, the book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of international relations and political science as well as policymakers and analysts employed by diplomatic services, multilateral organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
Chapter 1 – The battle for technology: the global arena
Chapter 2 – The war of arguments: the European battlefield
Chapter 3 – Economic and political interests of the major powers: the United States, Germany and Russia
Chapter 4 – Chinese Investment and 5G cooperation in the EU: France, Germany and Italy
Chapter 5 – Chinese Investment and 5G networks in the Visegrad Countries
Chapter 6 – Conclusions
Biography
Csaba Moldicz, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations, Faculty of International Business and Management, Budapest Business School, Hungary.
"This is a great, exciting and timely book. Professor Csaba Moldicz gives a wide and substantiated panorama of today’s global geopolitical and geoeconomic competition between USA and China in which technological supremacy is destination and one of pivotal strategic "battlefields" is EU. Technology, perhaps, is far from omnipotent. However, its ubiquitously construed almighty invariably invites fierce contest which in our days is superimposed on the crisis of "linear-liberal" reading of globalization. And this contest itself does provide global tectonic shifts, ultimately not just technological, but systemic – socio-economic, political-institutional, cultural and axiological. Professor Moldicz’s angle of approach is unconventional and sharp. Righteously leaving aside purely engineering dimension he concentrates exactly on systemic issues of geopolitics and geoeconomics in the context of technological competition. The picture he draws is critical but realistic. EU appears as politically and culturally divided economic giant facing the imperative of multi-layered balancing¾ internal and external, economic and technological, political and axiological, trying to meet the ends of prosperity and security. Originality and sharpness of the author’s take derive from the fact that Professor Moldicz was born and works in Central European Hungary. Hence his perspective on the place and role of Visegrad countries is so penetrative and valuable. Highly global and highly compartmentalized World absorbed by online innovation strangely immature to settle its offline challenges. Simply a must reading for the scholars and students of IR and Global political economy."
Mikhail Karpov, PHD, School of Asian Studies, Russian Higher School of Economics, Russian MGIMO (International Relations) University Senior Researcher.
"Reading about technological race from a political economy perspective is an exciting adventure. Writing about it is a very challenging undertaking because of the complexity of technological development itself and the dynamically changing web of interests of international actors. This is especially true when it comes to China's technological rise and global competition. Professor Moldicz is undoubtedly able to tie the knot between technologies, economic implications in a geopolitical context. Moreover, his approach is impeccable, logical and easy to understand - a much appreciated quality when writing about complicated topics. Not only does the author provide a theoretical framework for the topic, but he has also been able to confidently select the most relevant case studies. Economic history is replete with evidence of the importance of technological dominance leading to global economic power. This book is an excellent attempt to capture the underlying issues of the tectonic shift in the global technological race. It also explains with wonderful insight how China has been able to use all its intellectual and economic power to advance at tremendous speed, even though its global leadership is questionable, at least for the moment. A must-read for anyone trying to understand not just the surface, but the real driving forces behind today's technological interdependence between Europe, China and the US."
Tamas Novak, PhD, Diplomat for Science and Technology, former Director of Oriental Business and Innovation Center, Budapest
