US-China clash over big data to leave decades-long impact on global economy

While the actions are intensifying in the middle of an election campaign, the question of what US data can be accessed by Chinese companies -- if any -- cuts across partisan lines

TikTok, WeChat and Huawei Technologies Co. are just the beginning. What comes next has the potential to reshape the global economy for decades to come.

President Donald Trump’s moves to prevent some of China’s biggest companies from accessing the private data of Americans -- restrictions set to take effect this month -- are part of a broader effort to create “clean networks” the Communist Party can’t touch. That initiative, involving everything from 5G networks to cloud services to undersea cables, is already impacting corporate deal-making and geopolitics, with both countries and companies pressured to pick sides.

While the actions are intensifying in