Zhou Xiaoming: How US tech hegemony is locking out the Global South

CCG Senior Fellow and former deputy representative of China’s mission to the UN in Geneva says The world deserves better than a monopoly that builds walls and hobbles development.

Here is the latest opinion column by Zhou Xiaoming, senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a former deputy representative of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva, in the South China Morning Post.

How US tech hegemony is locking out the Global South

The world deserves better than a monopoly that builds walls and hobbles development

In global discourse, a script has been handed to us: the United States and China are locked in a “tech race”. But this is really a misnomer. True competition requires a level playing field. When one runner trips the other to ensure victory, it’s not a competition; it’s cheating.

So, when Washington deploys an arsenal of sanctions, export controls and diplomatic strong-arming to hamstring China’s technological ascent, it is not competing. It is an act of suppression.

This reflects a deliberate strategy to preserve American supremacy in the technologies of the future. Take 6G for example. Washington’s intent is clear: by bundling development with “trusted” supply chains and alliance politics, it is working to build a new global regime centred on US-led standards and closed loops, rather than a universal, open-access model.

The US obsession with retaining its crown is not rooted in advancing humanity’s collective interests; it is about preserving a monopoly. The US has used patent barriers, export bans and price gouging to act as the gatekeeper of modernisation.

As a result, the spread of technology is channelled through a system of sluice gates. This systematic hindrance builds a high wall, shutting out the Global South and locking developing nations permanently at the bottom of the global value chain.

The impact on the Global South is a daily reality of exclusion. Nowhere is this more visible than in agriculture.

American giants have weaponised intellectual property laws to monopolise seeds. This forces African farmers into a cycle of debt, buying seeds at inflated prices while being blocked from traditional replanting practices. In South Africa, many smallholders have been forced to the brink of bankruptcy through the planting of genetically modified seeds that are ill-suited to local weather and require patented chemical fertiliser and pesticides.

In Burkina Faso, after adopting Monsanto’s genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds in 2008, farmers sank into debt because they had to consistently buy new seeds and pay royalties. In Nigeria, hundreds of farmers’ organisations and civil society groups joined forces to call for a ban on GMOs, claiming they threaten livelihoods.

The information sector tells a similar story. From the 1970s to the 1980s, the Brazilian information sector experienced robust development. Local manufacturers accounted for 80 per cent of the domestic market. Cobra, a Brazilian computer manufacturer founded in 1974, was second only to IBM by 1984. It had the most microcomputers after the US and Japan.

Yet, Washington’s actions crushed the thriving industry. In 1985, the Ronald Reagan administration launched a Section 301 investigation and waged a trade war that led to Brazil opening up its market to US firms.

US tech dominance also means exorbitant prices for some healthcare. American pharmaceutical giants have leveraged patents to monopolise raw materials like hyaluronic acid – used in cataract surgery – driving prices sky-high. As a result, poorer people in Africa and Southeast Asia have been deprived of surgery that could prevent them from going blind.

American technological supremacy also poses security risks. The weaponisation of surveillance tools undermines the digital sovereignty of the Global South. Whistle-blower Edward Snowden’s revelations exposed how the US National Security Agency spied on countries from Brazil to India. So when Washington puts restrictions on Huawei’s 5G, the real concern is clear: if countries switch to Chinese telecoms, America loses its ability to snoop on their people and leaders.

Moreover, American military technological supremacy has emboldened Washington to wage wars with impunity: invading Iraq, on false pretences of Baghdad possessing weapons of mass destruction; kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife; and assassinating Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (in a joint operation with Israel), as well as bombing Iranian bridges, hospitals, universities, power plants and factories.

Indeed, being a technological laggard is tantamount to letting Washington assert its dominance, leaving many countries in constant fear. Even allies such as Canada and Denmark have not been spared from attempted coercion.

In contrast, China offers a stark, refreshing alternative: a tech path that is open, inclusive and focused on lifting everyone up. Instead of hoarding tech, China shares it – turning once-unaffordable innovations into tools for shared progress.

In solar energy, China’s large-scale production has sliced panel prices by over 90 per cent, making solar power cheaper than fossil fuels in sun-drenched regions worldwide. With 80 per cent of the global solar panel market, China isn’t just selling affordable, high-quality products, it is also sharing its expertise with other developing countries.

In Nigeria, for example, the transfer of complete solar panel production technology has enabled the construction of a local manufacturing plant that produces hundreds of thousands of panels yearly, enabling the country to power rural homes with locally made solar energy.

In agricultural technology, Chinese and Kenyan scientists have developed drought-resistant seeds that have boosted yields by 50 per cent for farmers, and trained a number of agronomists, as the East African country cuts dependency on agricultural imports.

In artificial intelligence, China embraces open-source methods as a pathway, with largely free commercial use, to democratise access.

Technology’s value lies in diffusion, adaptation and shared progress. If Washington keeps weaponising technology, building walls and prioritising control, it will not only stifle global advancement but also isolate itself from future innovation. True leadership is not about hoarding power; it is about lifting others up. The world deserves better than a monopoly that leaves developing countries in the dust.