Opinions and Editorials


Apr. 11, 2017

TechCrunch Opinion: The surprising rise of China as IP powerhouse, by Wayne Sobon

This post originally appeared in TechCrunch on April 11, 2017.


The contrast could not be more stark: Xi Jinping, the first president of China to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, leading the largest Chinese contingent ever and pledging enduring support for free trade and open markets, versus newly inaugurated President Donald Trump promising to “make America First” and threatening renewed trade barriers, especially with China, and dumping the TPP.

Mr. Xi was treated like a rock star by the Davos capitalists, and while never mentioning Trump (or, for that matter, Britain’s protectionist Brexit withdrawal) by name, he unmistakably took aim against them. Taking on a mantle of global leadership, Mr. Xi said “[n]o one will emerge as a winner in a trade war,” and compared protectionism to “locking oneself in a dark room.” It’s not clear anything in the meeting between President Xi and President Trump last week adjusted these positions.

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