The increasingly adversarial nature of the China-U.S. relationship is rapidly bringing forth the potential for a “splinternet” – a grim bifurcation of the cyber world. The meritocratic processes of tech standard creation, as well as the interoperability of such standards, are all coming under threat from strategic efforts to further ulterior, national agendas. Technical standards, born out of necessity in a globalizing world, have become critical to the ordinary functions of society. The principal aims and benefits of these standards are global interoperability, compatibility, and connectivity, underpinning all international trade. In essence, standards set the “rules of the game” that...