// HIGHLIGHT //
Munich Security Conference: Cyberspace a national security issue
The week (or rather, weekend) was dominated by security talks. Heads of government, defence ministers, and security experts descended upon the Bavarian capital on 17–19 February for the annual Munich Security Conference (MCS).
Against this backdrop of tensions, countries are increasingly aware of vulnerabilities to cyber attacks as they move to digitise their economies and rely more heavily on technology. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned: ‘Military forces are necessary to protect our security. But they are not sufficient. We must also secure our cyberspace, our supply chains, and our infrastructure.’
The EU’s High Representative, Josep Borrell, also acknowledged that the battlefield has extended to cyberspace, and includes cyber defence alongside other areas of national security.
All in all, there were fewer explicit mentions of cybersecurity and cyber resilience compared to previous MSCs, which shows how digital security has become an issue of national security for countries worldwide.
China’s role in the Ukraine war could affect tech trade relations
A new development could put China’s tech trade relations with other countries to the test. During the weekend, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that according to US intelligence, China is ‘strongly considering’ providing military support to Russia – a claim that China dismissed as disinformation.
The USA has already taken an aggressive stance, including restrictions on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and other Chinese companies over national security concerns and controls on exports of high-tech chips and other technology to Chinese companies.
The EU has taken a milder approach by seeking to diversify its own sources of technology while still maintaining working relations with Beijing. Its approach is to encourage innovation within member countries by increasing investment in areas like AI and semiconductors while avoiding tech reliance on any single country, particularly China. For NATO’s Secretary-General Stoltenberg, although security interests should outweigh economic interests, countries ‘should continue to trade and engage economically with China’.
If China’s involvement in the ongoing war intensifies, this could affect the trade relations China has with other countries and regions, particularly the EU, which could be prodded to do much more than decrease its tech dependence on China.
| Digital policy roundup (13–20 February) |
// METAVERSE //
Tencent lets go of VR hardware plans; Apple pushes back launch of MR headset
Chinese company Tencent Holdings has decided against taking the plunge into virtual reality hardware, as economic uncertainty calls for tighter purse strings and an overall restructuring of their metaverse unit, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Apple has also decided to postpone the launch of its first mixed reality (MR) headset by a few months. It’s not the first time the company has decided to push back the launch.
Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
| The week ahead (20–26 February) |
| #ReadingCorner |
The latest Munich Security Report
There’s an entire chapter dedicated to cybersecurity in the 174-page Munich Security Report 2023, released right before last weekend’s Munich Security Conference.
The chapter in brief: There’s one main reason why major powers are vying to control global architectures (including the digital infrastructure): Such control allows some countries to control the rules of the game and renders other countries dependent on them. There’s more focus on protectionist approaches, competition, and autonomy and less on free markets and interdependence. Read the report.
