How to Win a Tech Cold War

If a digital Iron Curtain is falling between the U.S. and China, America seems increasingly eager to yank its side down. A hasty and excessive response, however, runs the risk of undermining its own technological advantage.

The most visible assault is the one the U.S. has launched against Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., the world’s leading telecommunications equipment business. American officials have pressured Western allies to ban Huawei technology from forthcoming 5G wireless networks, which will connect everything from mobile phones to autonomous cars. The Justice Department has indicted Huawei for corporate espionage and wants to prosecute Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou for allegedly misleading banks about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran.