China's Xi calls for step up of global effort in AI, as US curbs squeeze China's tech access

Chinese President Xi Jinping told delegates at the World AI Conference in Shanghai on Friday that artificial intelligence should be developed and regulated through cooperation among nations rather than under the control of any one power. His remarks, delivered as the event opened, come at a moment when Beijing's ambitions in the field are colliding directly with Washington's efforts to limit what technology reaches Chinese firms.

Xi pushed back on what he characterized as the improper use of national security justifications to restrict technology flows, describing such moves as an "overstretching" of security concerns. He argued that no single country should be allowed to set the terms for how AI evolves globally, a message aimed squarely at the United States and its allies, who have imposed export controls on advanced chips and related equipment bound for China.

The gathering in Shanghai draws government officials, researchers and business leaders from around the world to discuss AI's trajectory, and Xi's appearance underscores how central the technology has become to China's economic and strategic planning. His call for shared global stewardship of AI development stands in contrast to the increasingly fragmented, competitive landscape that has actually emerged between major powers.

For several years, Washington has restricted the export of cutting-edge semiconductors, chipmaking tools and other advanced components to Chinese buyers, citing concerns that the technology could bolster China's military capabilities. Those measures have cut off Chinese companies from some of the most sophisticated hardware available, forcing domestic firms and research institutions to accelerate work on homegrown alternatives.

That squeeze has become a defining feature of the broader rivalry between the world's two largest economies, with Beijing pouring resources into semiconductor design, AI chips and machine-learning infrastructure in an effort to reduce its reliance on foreign suppliers. Chinese officials have repeatedly framed this drive toward self-sufficiency as both a necessity and an opportunity, arguing that domestic innovation can eventually match or surpass what has been restricted.

Yet the picture is not uniformly adversarial. Even as it condemns the export limits, Beijing continues to position itself as an advocate for multilateral AI governance, pointing to its own proposals at the United Nations and other international bodies for shared rules on safety and ethics. Critics in Washington and elsewhere counter that China's calls for open cooperation sit awkwardly alongside its tightly controlled domestic tech sector and its own restrictions on data and information flows.

The dispute is unlikely to be resolved soon. American policymakers have signaled they intend to keep tightening controls on sensitive technology exports, viewing them as essential to maintaining a lead in AI capabilities, while Chinese leaders continue to frame such barriers as counterproductive to global progress. With both governments treating AI as a matter of national competitiveness and security, the Shanghai conference is likely to be one of several venues this year where the two sides stake out competing visions for how the technology should be built, shared and governed.

Source: NPR World