Publications: Hilal Aka
July 24, 2025
Korea’s New Fairness Act Risks Chilling Innovation and Derailing Trade Talks
As senior South Korean and U.S. officials prepare to reconvene in Washington, the Korean government’s quiet decision to shelve the Platform Monopoly Act while fast-tracking the Online Platform Fairness Act sends a troubling signal. Though framed as a more balanced alternative, the Fairness Act potentially represents another form of non-tariff attack on U.S. tech firms, posing an even greater threat to innovation, legal certainty, and the broader U.S.–Korea economic relationship.
July 18, 2025
American Tech Companies Are Under Attack in Global Markets
The Trump administration should push back against foreign governments enacting policies specifically tailored to undermine American tech companies and US leadership.
July 7, 2025
Time for Strategic Clarity on the US Trade Agenda
With limited bandwidth for negotiations, we can no longer afford to treat all trade sectors equally. The administration should focus on what matters most for America’s economic and national security future: defending our technology industry from foreign attacks.
April 28, 2025
EU Regulatory Actions Against US Tech Companies Are a De Facto Tariff System
EU policymakers frame their legislative and regulatory actions against U.S. tech companies as measures to promote competition and protect consumers. But they operate as protectionist trade barriers and revenue-generating mechanisms.
April 10, 2025
Trade Talks Must Confront Foreign Non-Tariff Attacks on American Tech
U.S. trade negotiations must go beyond tariffs to confront the growing trend of foreign governments targeting American tech companies with discriminatory regulations, taxes, and fines. These non-tariff attacks undermine U.S. innovation and global competitiveness and must be a central focus to protect America’s techno-economic leadership.
March 25, 2025
What Vance Left Unsaid in Paris: America’s AI Leadership Hinges on Big Tech Leadership
Vice President Vance was right to warn against stifling AI innovation with excessive regulation, but the Trump administration must go further by pushing back against policies like the EU’s Digital Markets Act and similar U.S. regulatory efforts that undermine American tech leadership. To maintain global competitiveness, the U.S. should support its leading tech companies, ensuring they have the scale and capital needed to drive AI and technological advancements, rather than subjecting them to restrictive regulations that benefit foreign competitors.
March 20, 2025
Memo to the U.S. Treasury Department Regarding President Trump’s America First Trade Policy
The administration should address concerns related to counterfeit products, discriminatory digital taxes, and investment controls for critical technologies with measures to protect American innovation while promoting fair, rules-based trade principles that benefit the U.S. economy and support U.S. technological leadership.
March 20, 2025
Memo to the U.S. Commerce Department Regarding President Trump’s America First Trade Policy
The administration should address mercantilist policies that systematically disadvantage American businesses and workers with corrective measures such as strategic enforcement actions, reciprocal tariffs, expanded trade agreements, and stronger digital trade protections.
March 20, 2025
Memo to the U.S. Trade Representative Regarding President Trump’s America First Trade Policy
The administration should address trade imbalances, discriminatory regulations, and digital trade restrictions imposed by China, India, and the European Union, among others. Targeted policy responses may include reciprocal tariffs, digital trade enforcement, fair pricing mechanisms, and strengthened trade agreements to ensure a level playing field for U.S. businesses.
March 17, 2025
What America Can Learn From China About Big Tech
America should reconsider its antagonistic approach toward Big Tech, instead forging strategic partnerships with these firms—similar to China's recent pivot—to maintain global technological leadership and competitive edge in critical fields like AI and semiconductors.