The Role of 5G Technology in Superpower Rivalry between the United States and China: An Offensive Realist Approach

Abstract

The article aims to explain the importance of 5G technology in pursuing power and shaping the international competition between two superpowers: the USA and China. Accordingly, the research focus of this article is to explain how and why 5G technology is being used by China and the U.S. as a key instrument in their growing geopolitical rivalry. The study is framed within the theoretical approach of offensive realism. It is based on the primary assumption that superpowers like China and the United States tend to increase their power not only by expanding their armed forces and territorial conquests but also by using every possible opportunity to do so. The article researches two questions. What is the importance of 5G technology in the rivalry between China and the U.S.? How has the development of communication technologies influenced countries and their ability to shape the international environment? 5G technology is considered more than just the next generation of wireless connectivity, as it goes beyond traditional forms of use and addresses a new category of users. It is a structure intended to facilitate a new category of goods and services: smart cities, autonomous vehicles, automated factories, digital services, and robotization of decision-making processes.