Recent global business events are a bit like an Escher drawing — they can be seen simultaneously in different ways.
Consider last week’s US calls for the Chinese tech firm Kunlun to divest itself of the American social network Grindr — on the grounds that data from the gay, bi, trans and queer dating app could be used to blackmail people with security clearances, thus compromising US national interests. Then, there were the tweets from President Donald Trump about his meeting with Google chief executive, Sundar Pichai, who is apparently “totally committed to the US Military, not the Chinese Military”. Good to know — I guess.
This was followed by an announcement of Google’s plans to roll out faster web content for Cuba, which would seem to counter Mr Trump’s promises to get tough on the regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. The Cubans, you see, are understood to provide Caracas with intelligence services.