“In order to maximize excessive or monopolistic profits, transnational corporations are not only unwilling to transfer technologies but also try to monopolize or occupy the market instead. The development of high technology, therefore, will bear great impact on national security”. Said Xu Guanhua, vice minister of the science and technology.
Impacts from high technology affects the national security in the three following fields, Xu pointed out.
Firstly, economic security. After the Cold War, contests between countries have shifted from the military to economic field. Economic security is becoming extremely important. Arms can be bought with money and military security can be obtained through foreign aid, but economic security will never be obtained in the same way. Hi-tech industry requires huge investment and vast markets, and developed countries always want to make developing countries market for their transnational corporations. What developed countries want is that developing nations develop their elementary industry while they, the developed nations, push forward high technology. The strategy “market for technology” of developing countries will never achieve what they want. Hence, creativity is not a decisive factor for the competitiveness of a country`s products, but a security factor for the country`s economy.
Secondly, cultural security. Internet has added another wing for the spread of Western culture. Among the existing websites, over 80 percent are in English. Opinions from Western academies or news medias hold an overwhelming position.
Thirdly, military security. High technology has become essential to national defense. Western developed countries are paying increasing attention to hi-tech arms and have put many of them into actual battles. Possibility cannot be ruled out for technology-exporting countries to install a “Trojan horse” in the exported equipment for coercing, attacking or sabotage.
Furthermore, the ability of a country to control the spread of information has been weakened in the quickening developing of information industry. Not only a nation’s political boundary will be weakened with internal affairs easily get exposed by news media, but also its military actions will easily fall into a prey of others.
(China Economic Times, June 12, 2000)
