One takeaway from the discussion with @lizalinwsj and @joshchin : China’s tech model is a double edged sword, both at home and abroad. And the line between “digital utopia” and “digital police state” is quite often blurred. 🧵
In #Xinjiang, for example, surveillance is something to be feared - it allows police to track and detain people according to capricious standards; its presence imparts a sense of constant dread and fear on Uyghurs.
On the other hand, in other areas, it allows for the speedy identification of public safety hazards; facial recognition technologies allow citizens to pay for goods and services, take public transit, and access other public resources instantly.
Similarly, abroad, the export of Chinese technologies and know-how can enable authoritarian governments to more efficiently identify and crush opposition; they can also provide solutions that have the potential to greatly enhance the well-being of citizens.
However, one constant in all of this is that regardless of how Chinese tech is used and deployed, it is designed around a single goal: enhancing the political security of the CCP.
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