How China swerved worst of global tech meltdown

While many countries around the world were struggling with a significant tech issue known as the 'blue screen of death,' China managed to avoid the worst of it. This phenomenon occurs when a computer crashes and displays a sad face emoji, indicating a serious error. The reason for China's relative immunity to this global tech meltdown is quite straightforward: the American cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is not widely utilized in the country. Many organizations in China prefer to rely on domestic technology providers rather than American companies, which they view as potential security threats. As a result, Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei have become the leading cloud service providers in the region. Consequently, when reports of outages emerged, they primarily involved foreign firms rather than local businesses. For instance, some users on Chinese social media platforms expressed frustration over their inability to check into international hotel chains such as Sheraton, Marriott, and Hyatt in various Chinese cities. Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable trend among government agencies, businesses, and infrastructure operators in China to replace foreign IT systems with domestic alternatives. Some analysts refer to this emerging network as the 'splinternet. ' According to Josh Kennedy White, a cybersecurity expert based in Singapore, this situation reflects China's strategic approach to managing foreign technology operations. He noted, 'Microsoft operates in China through a local partner, 21Vianet, which manages its services independently of its global infrastructure. This arrangement helps protect essential services in China, such as banking and aviation, from global disruptions. ' The Chinese government views the avoidance of reliance on foreign systems as a means of bolstering national security. This approach is reminiscent of actions taken by some Western nations, which banned Chinese tech firm Huawei's technology in 2019, as well as the UK's decision to restrict Huawei's presence on government devices in 2023. In response to these developments, the US has launched a concerted effort to prohibit the sale of advanced semiconductor chip technology to China and to prevent American companies from investing in Chinese technology. The US government claims that these restrictions are necessary for national security reasons. However, not everything in China was completely unaffected by the global tech issues. The Hong Kong airport did experience some disruptions due to the outage. An editorial published in the state-run Global Times newspaper subtly referenced these restrictions on Chinese technology, stating, 'Some countries constantly talk about security, generalize the concept of security, but ignore the real security; this is ironic. ' The editorial suggests that the US attempts to dictate the terms of who can use global technology and how it is utilized, while one of its own companies has caused widespread chaos due to negligence. Furthermore, the Global Times criticized the internet giants that 'monopolize' the industry, arguing that 'relying solely on top companies to lead network security efforts, as some countries advocate, may hinder not just the inclusive sharing of governance outcomes but also introduce new security risks. ' This reference to 'sharing' likely alludes to the ongoing debate over intellectual property, as China is frequently accused of copying or stealing Western technology. However, Beijing maintains that this is not the case and advocates for an open global technology marketplace while still exercising strict control over its domestic technology landscape. Despite the challenges faced by other countries, some workers in China expressed their gratitude to an American software giant for unexpectedly ending their workweek early. On the social media platform Weibo, the phrase 'Thank you Microsoft for an early vacation' trended, with users sharing images of blue error screens. This lighthearted response highlights the contrasting experiences of those in China compared to the global tech turmoil.