In trying to hinder a competitor's rise, Washington is hastening its own retreat from global relevance. Leadership in technology cannot be sustained by excluding others.

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration's recent move to extend U.S. export controls on Huawei's Ascend AI chips underscores a deeper unease: Washington is increasingly relying on suppression, not competition, to maintain its technological edge.

This raises a critical question: What kind of global tech ecosystem does Washington seek to foster? One built on open competition, merit and cooperation? Or one fragmented by sanctions, bloc confrontation and zero-sum rivalry?

History shows that technological leadership thrives in ecosystems where ideas collide and evolve. By weaponizing trade policies to stifle rivals, Washington's tactics are not merely shortsighted. They risk accelerating America's decline as the world's leading innovator.

For decades, the foundations of the global innovation system have been rooted in cross-border cooperation, supply chain interdependence, and shared standards, which have long driven breakthroughs from semiconductors to software.

Such toxic policies by Washington threaten to balkanize the tech world into hostile camps, slowing progress and raising costs. It also isolates U.S. firms from vast markets and talent pools crucial for their development.

In trying to hinder a competitor's rise, Washington is hastening its own retreat from global relevance. Leadership in technology cannot be sustained by excluding others. It requires confidence to compete, cooperate, and lead through innovation, not intimidation.

The extension of the export controls is not the first time U.S. politicians have gone to great lengths to suppress Chinese tech companies. Ironically, such pressure has accelerated rather than hindered China's technological advancement, on more than one occasion.

Despite years of being blacklisted, Huawei has developed its HarmonyOS and recently launched a new HarmonyOS-powered computer. AI models from Chinese firms, such as DeepSeek, have also achieved performance levels comparable to those of their global counterparts, using far fewer computing resources.

Even voices within America's own tech establishment acknowledge the limits of this strategy. Speaking in Washington in late April, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that China is "not behind" in the AI race and described Huawei as "one of the most formidable technology companies in the world." That such an admission comes after years of sanctions and export bans only underscores the self-defeating nature of Washington's approach.

Sadly, the U.S. political establishment has failed to learn from history.

The United States has a long history of technological leadership. But U.S. politicians are now treating that leadership as a prize to be guarded rather than earned. Out-competing China in the technologies of the future will require more investment, more openness and more confidence, not more suppression.