China has pushed back against claims that the global race to develop advanced artificial intelligence is becoming a form of “malicious competition,” calling instead for greater international cooperation on AI governance.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that narratives centred on threats, confrontation and hostile competition risk undermining efforts to establish effective global rules for artificial intelligence.
He said countries should work together to advance AI in a way that is open, inclusive and beneficial to society.
The comments come amid an intensifying debate in the United States over the speed at which increasingly powerful AI systems are being developed and whether governments should intervene to reduce potential risks.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has been among technology leaders calling for stronger safeguards and a slowdown in AI development. However, any slowdown would have to address concerns that China could gain an advantage if US companies reduced the pace of development while Chinese laboratories continued advancing their models.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has emphasized maintaining America's technological advantage over China, arguing that leadership in artificial intelligence will have major strategic consequences.
The debate reflects a wider technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The United States has imposed export restrictions on advanced semiconductor technology, while China has continued investing heavily in domestic AI development, including open-source models and computing infrastructure.
Beijing has also acknowledged that increasingly capable AI systems could create significant risks. Chinese officials have called for a balance between technological development and security, alongside stronger laws, ethical standards and mechanisms to address emerging threats.
China has also sought a larger role in international AI governance. In July, Beijing established the World AI Cooperation Organisation, while Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed greater international collaboration around open-source artificial intelligence.
Despite some shared concerns about advanced AI, analysts cited in the original report said a comprehensive US-China agreement to slow development would be extremely difficult because both countries increasingly view artificial intelligence as a matter of national security and strategic competitiveness.
The issue could become increasingly prominent in diplomatic discussions between Washington and Beijing as both governments seek to shape the rules governing one of the world's most consequential emerging technologies.
Source: BBC / Agencies
