The testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) brings to mind the ancient lesson that ‘falling behind will invite punishment.’ However, as the stockpile of AI chips depletes, it’s as if we’re in a state of ‘treading water,’ and the technological博弈 between the US and China may just be another game of ‘hide and seek.’ But can ‘blocking the road with a butterfly’s wing’ type of export controls really ‘check’ China’s ambition in the semiconductor field? This remains to be seen, does it not?