The US tech industry’s increasingly hawkish attitude towards China has alarmed observers who warn it could cause greater mistrust between the two countries. Silicon Valley has become more politicised in recent years, with figures such as Elon Musk donating vast sums to political campaigns, including Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. The US government has placed technological competition at the centre of its rivalry with Beijing. Tech lobbyists are “systematically” incorporating the concept of the “China threat” into their lobbying, according to an article published last month by the Journal of Contemporary Asia-Pacific Studies, overseen by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article said corporate leaders were “selectively” presenting information to tap into Washington’s concerns about China and “maximise” the chances of favourable policy decisions. The authors, Tan Yannan, a PhD student at Renmin University, and Sun Chenghao, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University, warned that “the instrumentalisation of China-related issues in government-business interactions will further reinforce US misperceptions about China and intensify strategic mutual suspicion between the two sides.” The researchers said an “emerging” generation of American tech leaders had used Chinese competitors as a “strategic lever” to “proactively shape the policy agenda” in the United States.