Windows Phone Thoughts: Controversy Over WLAN Standard Deepens: Chinese Standard Could Fracture the Global Market

"Licensing requirements at the heart of a Chinese standard for wireless LANs threaten to disrupt the ability of networking equipment vendors to do business in China, according to a U.S. technology trade group. The requirement deepens a controversy over the recently-implemented Chinese WLAN standard that could undermine efforts to create a global standard for wireless networks. The Chinese WLAN standard, called GB15629.11-2003, is very similar to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' 802.11 standard, commonly known as Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi, but it uses a different security protocol, called WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI)."

China has been making some very aggressive moves lately in the technology market as they try to move from being a manufacturing centre to being a development centre where technology is born, not just built. I've read several articles that talk about China's desire to become like Japan was in the '80s and '90's - the question is, has the world learnt anything since then, and will China succeed?