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How has China gained influence at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and what type of agenda will they continue to pursue if the US and our allies do not step up our participation? If China and Russia win the upcoming ITU election, we\\u2019re going to find out. Coined recently as \\u201cthe most important election you have never heard of,\\u201d the ITU\\u2019s plenipotentiary conference in late September will give members the chance to vote on a new secretary general and group of high officials. If China\\u2019s favored candidates succeed, they will continue to dictate the rules, standards, and best practices around emerging technologies like 5G networks.

Failure on the part of the US to thwart this effort will have tangible effects on everyday Americans. As two of our guests today have warned, \\u201cWhat is at stake is secure air travel, privacy in every sphere of modern life, and the ability of the US military to protect the American people. The stakes could not be higher.\\u201d

On this episode, Shane sits down with AEI Distinguished Senior Fellow Danielle Pletka and Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Brett Schaefer, who co-authored a report titled Countering China\\u2019s Growing Influence at the International Telecommunication Union. They\\u2019re also joined by Dominique Lazanski, a global internet governance expert and previous Explain to Shane guest who last came on the show to discuss her 2020 essay, Standardising the Splinternet: How China\\u2019s Technical Standards Could Fragment the Internet. The four of them discuss the upcoming ITU election, remind us of its high stakes, and explain how China\\u2019s quest to dominate the ITU is emblematic of a larger strategy to intimidate rivals and erode the United States\\u2019 global influence.