As Washington and Beijing go head-to-head in yet another round of escalating tariffs, the rift between the two countries grows with leaders on both sides of the world arguing that on national security grounds, technology and industrial capabilities must be domestically controlled. That political approach, combined with growing aggression and Chinese expansion, sets the stage for an increasingly volatile relationship between China and the United States. That should be avoided.

Today, the economic talk is on the trade war — and there’s plenty to talk about. But Americans should also acknowledge the not unrelated reality of a technology driven arms race. Even as Americans fret over the rising cost of goods and materials coming from China as the result of Trump’s tariffs and tit-for-tat retaliation, Beijing is looking to the future where it hopes to edge past the United States, and its damaging tariffs, in technology development.