Security News > 2022 > July > UK response to China's tech ambitions labelled 'incoherent and muted'

The UK's response to China's well-publicized efforts to use technology standards to shape the world in its image has been "Incoherent and muted" according to report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

Published last week, the report, titled "Encoding values: Putting tech at the heart of UK foreign policy", follows up on previous policy work that recommended the UK ensure that its foreign policy recognize the value and importance of shaping technology industries and standards.

The report finds that - despite complementary policies that call for the UK to become a "Science and technology superpower" - British efforts to engage in existing dialogs that define the future of tech are hard to identify.

"But without well-developed positions on such matters, the report's authors assert"The UK is being left out of conversations on transatlantic tech cooperation between the US and EU." Bilateral and ad hoc arrangements with other nations, the report adds, will not be enough.

Without a change, the report fears the UK will become "a rule-taker rather than a rule-maker".

"The Government now needs to extend the UK's influence within the global technology landscape, to ensure that future technologies are developed and used in ways that align with our values and, crucially, uphold the rights and freedoms of people in the UK and across the world," the report concludes.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/07/11/tech_and_uk_foreign_policy/