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 Playing Both Sides

Democracies with market-based economies have simply never faced companies like this before, and it sometimes appears that institutional memories are mired in a past where centrally managed economies were notable for irrational production quotas, and blurry television pictures of people waiting in line, usually in the depth of winter, to enter stores with bare shelves.

That may explain some of the clumsy, unsuccessful attempts by the U.S. to excise apps such as Tiktok and Wechat, which to some has raised the specter of a new digital iron curtain. But, even so, in all this, you would expect significantly more concern in Europe at everything that is going on.

The Chinese government has set red lines in areas that is says should not be crossed, mainly related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea. It would be a good idea if many European countries also set firmer limits than they have, particularly as the pained U.S. congressional attempt to exorcise its indolent social media entrepreneurs and the antitrust suit filed against Google are underway.