Biden set to focus on semiconductors not tanks in competition with China | Myanmar's post-coup technological authoritarianism | British scientists working with China's nuclear research institute
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The Biden administration is moving to put semiconductors, artificial intelligence and next-generation networks at the heart of U.S. strategy toward Asia, attempting to rally what officials are calling “techno-democracies” to stand up to China and other “techno-autocracies.” The new framing for the U.S. rivalry with China has been given added urgency by the sudden global shortage of microchips needed in products such as cars, mobile phones and refrigerators. The strategy would seek to rally an alliance of nations fighting for an edge in semiconductor fabrication and quantum computing, upending traditional arenas of competition such as missile stockpiles and troop numbers. Bloomberg
The generals, who staged a coup a month ago, are now back in charge with a far more sophisticated arsenal at their disposal: Israeli-made surveillance drones, European iPhone cracking devices and American software that can hack into computers and vacuum up their contents. Some of this technology, including satellite and telecommunications upgrades, helped people in Myanmar go online and integrate with the world after decades of isolation. Other systems, such as spyware, were sold as integral to modernizing law enforcement agencies. The New York Times
Scientists at Britain’s leading universities – including Cambridge, Edinburgh and Manchester – have worked on a string of projects with researchers at China’s nuclear weapons research institution. British academics have published dozens of papers alongside scientists employed by a Chinese institution that is on a US sanctions list due to its research into developing Beijing’s nuclear arsenal. The Telegraph
ASPI ICPC
Letter to the UN Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre contributed to the United Nation’s Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security (“OEWG”). We contributed to, and endorsed, the submission from the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE); we are one of the knowledge partners of the GFCE. In this submission, provided additional comments and suggestions based on our on-the-ground experience as a strategic policy think tank delivering cyber capacity building initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. Our contribution, provided at the end of last year, is now online.
Singapore studying new laws to protect Republic from foreign interference, says Josephine Teo
The Straits Times
Teo cited how countries like Australia have reported instances where foreign powers attempted to influence their politics by buying off political parties and politicians. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, global cases of cyber-enabled foreign interference in elections have increased from seven between 2011 and 2015, to 41 between 2016 and 2020.
Read our report “Cyber-enabled foreign interference in elections and referendums”.
World
Australia
Hackers put stolen NSW government data up for sale
Australian Financial Review
The hacking group Clop has put up previews and screenshots of stolen data from Transport for NSW.
NSW Police technology to be propelled into 21st century in US partnership
The Sydney Morning Herald
@laura_r_chung
A new partnership between NSW Police and an American technology company will help police respond quicker to emergencies and investigate crimes.
FriendlyJordies Has Set Up A Network Of Local Facebook Groups To Covertly Share Pro-Labor Memes
Gizmodo
@cameronwilson
FriendlyJordies is co-ordinating an effort to set up local Facebook community groups around the country, run by his fans, to covertly promote pro-Labor and anti-News Corp content in the lead-up to the next federal election.
China
Jack Ma personifies the contradiction of China’s ideology
Financial Times
Imagine if Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates disappeared from public view and it was automatically assumed they had been arrested on the orders of President Joe Biden and were being interrogated in a secret government jail. That is the situation in the world’s second-biggest economy, where Jack Ma, the Bezos of China with more than $50bn to his name, has appeared just once since October.
Ant Group Boss Tries to Quell Employee Discontent With Promise of Eventual IPO
The Wall Street Journal
@jingyanghk @qizhai
Facing discontent among employees, Ant Group Co.’s executive chairman said the Chinese financial-technology giant would eventually go public and that the company would look for ways to help workers monetize some of their shares.
China’s ‘Sharp Eyes’ Program Aims to Surveil 100% of Public Space
OneZero
@davegershgorn
The Sharp Eyes project is implemented differently depending on each city or town’s needs, but the general premise is the same: The city or town is divided into a grid, and each square of the grid acts as its own administrative unit. Citizens watch security footage from within their grid.
Xi Mobilizes China for Tech Revolution to Cut Dependence on West
Bloomberg
For U.S. politicians, China’s potential to dominate sensitive cutting-edge technologies poses one of the biggest geopolitical threats of the next few decades. President Xi Jinping is similarly worried the U.S. will block China’s rise, and this week will unveil plans for greater self-sufficiency.
How A Con Man With Primary Education Defrauded Billions Out Of A Wuhan Chip Project
China Money Network
In a rush to pump up China’s chip sector, local Chinese governments and private investors took big risks to set up numerous semiconductor projects during the past several years. Hoping to become the next Chinese chip national champion, local governments were eager to team up with private investors. But sometimes, local governments and contractors fall prey to professional con men who defraud tens of billions under the disguise of semiconductors.
USA
Biden Putting Tech, Not Troops, at Core of U.S.-China Policy
Bloomberg
@nwadhams
The Biden administration is moving to put semiconductors, artificial intelligence and next-generation networks at the heart of U.S. strategy toward Asia, attempting to rally what officials are calling “techno-democracies” to stand up to China and other “techno-autocracies.” The new framing for the U.S. rivalry with China has been given added urgency by the sudden global shortage of microchips needed in products such as cars, mobile phones and refrigerators. The strategy would seek to rally an alliance of nations fighting for an edge in semiconductor fabrication and quantum computing, upending traditional arenas of competition such as missile stockpiles and troop numbers.
China wants to dominate AI. The US and Europe need each other to tame it.
Politico
@melissahei
Political leaders in the U.S. and Europe are becoming increasingly alarmed by China’s use of artificial intelligence to track its people and engage in other authoritarian behavior.
‘Clean Network’ in the US-China Tech Race
The Diplomat
@mercyakuo
This conversation with James Andrew Lewis, senior vice president and director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is the 261st in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”
South-East Asia
Myanmar’s Military Deploys Digital Arsenal of Repression in Crackdown
The New York Times
@hkbeech
The generals, who staged a coup a month ago, are now back in charge with a far more sophisticated arsenal at their disposal: Israeli-made surveillance drones, European iPhone cracking devices and American software that can hack into computers and vacuum up their contents. Some of this technology, including satellite and telecommunications upgrades, helped people in Myanmar go online and integrate with the world after decades of isolation. Other systems, such as spyware, were sold as integral to modernizing law enforcement agencies.
Milk Tea Alliance' activists across Asia hold rallies against Myanmar coup
Reuters
@f_potkin @patpichatan
Activists across Asia held rallies on Sunday to support protesters in Myanmar fighting against a military coup, showing the growing influence of cross-border youth movements pushing for democracy with the rallying cry "Milk Tea Alliance"... The hashtag, which originated as a protest against online attacks from nationalists in China, was used millions of times on Sunday. Its name originates from the shared passion for the milky drink in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Hashtag activism: social media and the #FreeYouth protests in Thailand
Critical Asian Studies
@aimsinpeng
The Thai 2020 anti-government protests were the first large-scale pro-democracy protests in Thailand mediated on Twitter. How has Twitter been used by anti-government supporters and to what effect?
New Zealand & The Pacific
South and Central Asia
How RSS, BJP members invoked Hindu identity to mobilise Hindutva mobs at Maujpur
The Caravan
Facebook live broadcasts by RSS, BJP members showed large mobilisation on the rallying cry of Hindu unity and the threat of anti-CAA protesters.
UK
Scientists at top British universities worked with Chinese nuclear weapons researchers
The Telegraph
Scientists at Britain’s leading universities – including Cambridge, Edinburgh and Manchester – have worked on a string of projects with researchers at China’s nuclear weapons research institution. British academics have published dozens of papers alongside scientists employed by a Chinese institution that is on a US sanctions list due to its research into developing Beijing’s nuclear arsenal.
Europe
Police arrest former Barcelona president Bartomeu after Camp Nou raid
The Atlantic
@dermotmcorrigan
Barcelona’s board had hired an IT consultancy called I3 Ventures to improve its social media use, paying the company around €1 million a year from the 2017-18 season. It was then claimed in early 2020 that the company had been behind “troll” accounts, besmirching the reputation of those who were seen as “enemies” of the then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu’s hierarchy.
Russia
A Conversation With Alisa Esage, a Russian Hacker Who Had Her Company Sanctioned After the 2016 Election
The Record
Shevchenko talked to Recorded Future cyber threat intelligence expert Dmitry Smilyanets last week about her experience in 2016, her favorite vulnerabilities, and what it’s like to be a hacker in Russia.
Misc
Twitter to apply labels to misleading vaccine information.
The New York Times
@daveyalba
Twitter said on Monday that it would start applying labels to tweets that contained misleading information about Covid-19 vaccines, and would enforce its coronavirus misinformation policies with a new five-tier “strike” system..Twitter will notify people when it applies a label to one of their tweets, and repeated violations of the Covid-19 policy will result in stricter enforcement, the company said.
No connectivity without electricity: how a lack of power keeps millions offline
Reuters Opinion
During natural disasters the web is a lifeline, but in low- and middle-income countries, too many people are forced to go without electricity and internet at a time they most need it.
Events
ASPI Webinar: Are you ready for the new critical infrastructure law? | Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Thursday, March 18th 2021 - 4:00 PM (AEDT) With amendments to the Critical Infrastructure Act currently before parliament, impacted industry sectors are racing to get ready. ASPI's International Cyber Policy Centre is delighted to invite you to a panel discussion where representatives from Home Affairs, the cybersecurity sector and industry will discuss the impact of the changes and answer your questions.
Research
Accelerating 5G in the United States
CSIS
5G will shape the economic future of the United States in the same way that commercializing the internet did 25 years ago. 5G is the infrastructure for the next phase of digital transformation. 5G raises security issues, since global networks and technology have become a key arena for competition among states, but 5G involves not just how we build secure infrastructure but how we use it to accelerate innovation and growth.
Jobs
Digital Security Specialist - EngageMedia
Engage Media
EngageMedia is hiring a Digital Security Specialist who will oversee and support our initiatives on digital security and safety in South and Southeast Asia.