Research on the US Restrictive Policy on China`s Technology Industry during the Trump Administration: A Case Study of Huawei
Author
Hao, Yu
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-15
Abstract
This thesis examines why the Trump administration (2017–2020) intensified U.S. restrictions on China’s technology industry even as the trade conflict temporarily eased. It builds a combined framework using the Copenhagen School’s securitization theory and neoclassical realism, and applies a case study of Huawei to illuminate the dynamics. The analysis shows that Washington invoked national security to impose wide-ranging limits on Chinese tech firms’ access to the U.S. market and encouraged allies to adopt similar measures. The thesis argues that the evidence presented for a specific national security threat was insufficient, interpreting the security rhetoric as a securitizing speech act aimed at mobilizing domestic and international support for interventions in the free market. Through the lens of neoclassical realism, the policy shift is explained by systemic pressure from China’s rising technological capabilities and influence, combined with the leadership style of the Trump team and a broad elite view of China that translated external pressures into concrete policy outputs. The Huawei case illustrates how these dynamics played out in practice and contributes to understanding the drivers behind the U.S. tightening of technology policy toward China in this period.
Afhandlingen undersøger, hvorfor Trump-administrationen (2017–2020) øgede restriktionerne mod Kinas teknologiindustri, selv efter at handelskonflikten midlertidigt blev dæmpet. Den kombinerer sekuritiseringsteorien fra Københavnerskolen og neoklassisk realisme i et samlet analyseapparat og anvender et casestudie af Huawei for at belyse udviklingen. Analysen viser, at Washington med henvisning til national sikkerhed indførte omfattende begrænsninger for kinesiske teknologivirksomheder i USA og søgte at få allierede til at gøre det samme. Afhandlingen argumenterer for, at de fremlagte beviser for en konkret sikkerhedstrussel er utilstrækkelige, og tolker den sikkerhedspolitiske retorik som en sekuritiserende talehandling, der skal skabe intern og ekstern opbakning til indgreb i den frie markedsøkonomi. Set gennem neoklassisk realisme forklares politikskiftet ved systemiske pres fra Kinas stigende teknologiske kapacitet og indflydelse, kombineret med Trump-administrationens lederstil og et bredt elitesyn på Kina, som kanaliserede pres til konkrete policy-tiltag. Casen om Huawei illustrerer, hvordan disse dynamikker materialiserede sig i praksis og bidrager til forståelsen af USA’s skærpede teknologipolitik over for Kina i perioden.
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