How the West could win a technological ‘shadow war’ with China

Authors Anja Manuel and Melanie Hart discuss an ongoing struggle within the International Telecommunication Union between the United States and China to determine which country will have the upper hand when it comes to establishing new global standards for technological developments.

A new shadow war is underway within the International Telecommunication Union, one of the obscure organizations that sets global technical standards.

International standard-setting is a morass of positive intentions and poor execution. When the process works well, it selects the best technologies based on merit and, for example, allows people to use their personal cellphone numbers anywhere on Earth. When the system fails, we end up with different electrical outlets in each country and scramble for adapters.

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