Smart cities at the center of geopolitics

The US government has designated a Chinese drone giant a national security concern, effectively banning US companies from supplying the company with exported technology. This move came amidst a wave of related cybersecurity moves but also implicated elements of the US administration's trade dispute with the Chinese government, suggesting that urban mobility and urban tech could become hotly disputed elements of future geopolitical calculations—as vital to international power relations as trade in weapons and advanced technologies today.

As the Sino-American struggle for technological dominance heats up, it is spilling over into multiple sectors of the smart city and urban tech economy, causing shock waves that reach far beyond the largest economies. This points towards a future where urban tech exports become embroiled in trade and security disputes, creating a need and opportunity for other regions to develop their own solutions, rather than simply importing them. This could help over the long run prevent the Global South from being divided up into Chinese and American spheres of smart city influence.