Tech firms urged to tell US and China to 'press pause button' on rivalry

Tech firms should tell the United States and China to "press the pause button" on their rivalry and work together on global issues such as climate change instead, said Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani.

"What you should do is… speak up and explain that this geopolitical contest is neither benefiting the US nor China, and is certainly harming the rest of the world at a time when we need to focus on more important common challenges," he told attendees at the annual Tech3 Forum yesterday.

Professor Mahbubani, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore, said tensions will continue to worsen.

He added that the rivalry, which includes an ongoing trade war and the US' accusations of corporate espionage by Chinese tech firm Huawei, was one about power, and not ideology, between the two world powers.

Prof Mahbubani also said South-east Asia will be the most affected region in the rivalry, adding that it has benefited economically from trade and investments from both countries.

"Even though… the 10 Asean countries have made it very clear that they don't want to take sides in this contest, in one way or another, they will be called upon to choose," he added.

Prof Mahbubani said the technology industry will also be at the forefront of the geopolitical contest, and warned that the US might deny China access to its advanced technology.

He noted that the US is already trying to decouple - or separate - some areas of the two countries' economies.

The threat of decoupled technology ecosystems, in which companies and countries may have to choose between or operate on two separate systems, was mentioned by Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo in her speech at yesterday's event.

To better protect Singapore's digital future, the Republic has focused on building its 5G digital infrastructure to enhance digital connectivity and strengthen its economic competitiveness.

"Today, our telcos have achieved at least 50 per cent outdoor coverage for 5G standalone services," she said.

Singapore has also been actively forming partnerships regionally and globally to facilitate data innovation, said Mrs Teo.

"Regrettably, businesses today face challenges complying with many different data regimes," added the minister.

Some countries have introduced highly restrictive rules, she said, referencing a report by The Straits Times on Wednesday that examined how restricting free data flow can have negative economic and social impact on citizens.

Other efforts by Singapore which Mrs Teo cited include working with neighbouring countries to apply cyber norms to the region.

The Tech3 Forum, organised by the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) and Infocomm Media Development Authority, included a panel discussion on the challenges faced by professionals and businesses in the current economic climate.

Panellists included Prof Mahbubani and Economic Development Board managing director Jacqueline Poh.

Yesterday, SCS partnered the National Library Board to organise programmes on technology topics, such as talks at libraries. Both organisations inked a memorandum of understanding at the event.