Could Chinese Tech Shut Down Europe? | The Dip Podcast

Why It Matters

The vulnerability of energy grids and industrial networks to remote disruption poses immediate national-security and economic risks, making supply-chain strategy and industrial policy central to Europe’s ability to safeguard infrastructure and maintain geopolitical autonomy.

Summary

Speakers warn that the global shift to connected hardware—much of it manufactured in China—has expanded Europe’s digital attack surface, exposing critical systems from cars to solar inverters and wind turbines to potential remote control or 'kill pill' attacks. Incidents of espionage through consumer IoT devices and the involvement of state-backed groups illustrate the problem, while AI could dramatically scale such attacks. Complete technological sovereignty is unrealistic given China’s dominance in manufacturing and critical minerals, so guests urge diversification of suppliers, investment in European vendors, and stronger public–private and allied cooperation to rebuild resilience. Policymakers face a sliding-scale trade-off between security and the cost advantages of Chinese tech.

Original Description

Could Chinese-made tech threaten Europe’s power grids, cars and homes? The Dip unpacks hardware backdoors, solar inverters, robot vacuums and the fight for digital sovereignty, with cybersecurity CEO Mirko Ross and Atlantic Council Global China Hub expert Claire Chu. #DWbusiness #DWdip

👉 To get the full episode, check out The Dip in the podcast app of your choice: https://pod.link/1840373319

For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/

Follow DW on social media:

►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews

►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews

►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/

►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews

Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1