Kristen Schwab

Another reason all of this matters to the U.S.

is that China is our biggest competitor in global markets.

And here, China appears to be winning, selling more to Africa, South America, Asia, the Middle East.

And its biggest companies now dominate in the technologies electrifying the planet, says Bank of Montreal's Jennifer Lee.

Plus, China isn't competing so much on its low cost of production anymore, says Columbia Business School climate economist Gernot Wagner.

Wagner says that used to be the U.S.

I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.

My husband John and I are standing outside a supermarket in Queens, and we decide to try a little experiment.

How much would an Uber cost to get home?

Okay, so put in our address.

Okay, ready?

On the count of three.

One, two, three.

I got $8.91.

For a regular UberX.

I got $9.96.

Why does it want me to pay more than you?

That's one theory, though the company says it does not personalize fares.

In a statement, Uber said variations in prices reflect things like how many drivers are active and how many customers are requesting similar trips.

In general, though, surveillance pricing is a thing, and not a new one.