China Rejects US Call to Slow AI Development as Technology Rivalry Sharpens
JAKARTA — The technological competition between the United States and China has entered a new chapter. Beijing has responded harshly to calls by several American artificial intelligence executives to slow the development of the most advanced AI technology, judging the idea to be a potential new instrument for curbing China’s technological progress.
The Washington Post reported on Monday, 14 September 2026, that China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused American technology executives of spreading threat narratives and encouraging confrontation and unhealthy competition. The criticism came after several leaders of leading US AI companies called for joint regulation of the pace of development of next-generation AI models.
The idea stems from concerns that industry’s ability to control AI is increasingly falling behind the speed at which the technology’s own capabilities are improving. Supporters of the approach believe some form of understanding is needed so that companies do not keep racing to build ever more powerful systems without adequate safeguard mechanisms.
One of the most prominent voices came from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. In a proposal delivered on Saturday, he called for international efforts to regulate the tempo of AI development, including possible cooperation between the United States and China.
At the same time, Amodei delivered sharp criticism of China’s political system. He warned that highly powerful AI technology could be misused by authoritarian governments, but judged that Washington still needed to try to build an agreement with Beijing on international limits for the use and development of AI.
The proposal instead heightened suspicion in China. According to The Washington Post, Chinese government media and nationalist outlets saw the call to slow AI as part of a broader American strategy to maintain technological superiority while hampering its competitor.
Global Times on Monday portrayed Amodei’s AI safety proposal as part of a technological ‘Cold War’ pattern. The nationalist outlet judged that the proposed restrictions could be used to set global rules favouring American companies and strategic interests.
Beijing’s suspicion did not arise in a vacuum. In recent years, Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced chips, semiconductor equipment and a range of software needed to train and run high-capability AI models.
The policy began aggressively during Joe Biden’s administration and was continued under Donald Trump’s government. Washington reasons that cutting-edge computing technology can have military and national security uses, while Beijing sees it as an effort to hold back China’s technological development.
China subsequently responded by accelerating the development of its domestic chip industry and improving algorithmic efficiency. This strategy has become increasingly important as Chinese companies must build AI models with more limited access to the most advanced processors made by American firms.
Despite facing these restrictions, the AI capability gap between the two countries remains relatively narrow on a number of benchmarks. The Washington Post reported that Chinese AI models consistently sit slightly behind the latest American models on various industry benchmarks.
Chinese technology companies have also adopted a different approach to market strategy. A number of Chinese developers have released open or free versions of their models that can be used and modified by other developers, an approach that has helped accelerate the spread of Chinese-made AI technology.
These developments mean AI is no longer merely a technology industry matter. Both Washington and Beijing view artificial intelligence as a strategic asset that will influence economic productivity, defence, cyber security, intelligence and geopolitical power in the decades ahead.