US vs Russia, Clash Today for Leadership of International Organization Setting ICT Standards

US Candidate Dorin Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
Photo by AP News

Russian candidate Rashid Ismailov
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 29th (local time), the United States and Russia will face off over the next head of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a global organization that sets international standards for mobile phones, the internet, satellite technology, and more.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 28th, the ITU will conduct the election process for the next leadership, including the Secretary-General, in Bucharest, Romania, on the 29th.

Founded in 1865, the ITU is a specialized UN (United Nations) ICT international organization responsible for international frequency and satellite orbit allocation, technology standard development, and support for developing countries, with 193 member states. The standards set by the ITU apply not only to telecommunications but also to most advanced industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), drones, autonomous driving, and virtual reality.

This Secretary-General election is a showdown between the United States and Russia. The U.S. has nominated Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, while Russia has put forward Rashid Ismailov, a former Russian government official and former Vice President of Huawei’s Russia operations. The New York Times (NYT) described this election as "a symbol of the global conflict between democratic approaches to a relatively lightly regulated and interconnected internet and authoritarian countries seeking to control citizens’ web access."

The United States has put considerable effort into securing the ITU Secretary-General position in this election. Senior U.S. government officials and major American companies have engaged in months of lobbying, and U.S. President Joe Biden recently sent a video endorsing candidate Bogdan-Martin. In a statement on the 20th, President Biden said, "The next ITU Secretary-General will play a crucial role in creating an inclusive digital future accessible to all, especially developing countries," urging all member states to vote for the U.S. candidate.

One reason the U.S. has lost leadership to China in the ICT sector, including 5G, is that China has been allowed to dominate senior positions in related international organizations in the increasingly important field of technology standards. Bloomberg reported that the current ITU Secretary-General, Zhao Houlin, a former Chinese official, was elected without opposition in 2014 and 2018.

Russian candidate Ismailov stated in his vision declaration submitted to the ITU that he aims to promote a human-centered digital environment by addressing economic inequality and the digital divide arising from ICT technological development. He emphasized strengthening the ITU’s role from tax issues to AI and called for the creation of internationally unified regulations regarding drone usage.