The new standard-bearer

As China begins to increase its participation in international commerce, its introduction of several initiatives are threatening existing standards. These initiatives include alternative standards for communications network, called TD-SCDMA, and for tracking goods using radiofrequency ID tags. Critics have denounced these initiatives as a covert form of protectionism for China's high-tech sector. To gain a better understanding of the issue, this paper examines four commonly held points of view about China's push for high-profile technical standards.