The country is steering artificial intelligence toward a more balanced, secure and inclusive development path. In doing so, it is contributing to a global development trajectory that is more intelligent, equitable and sustainable.

In the high-tech center of the world, technology and capital are moving from merely lobbying Washington to reshaping it, a trend that poses ongoing challenges to the structure of political power in the United States.

While no one has waved an official checkered flag in the Sino-American race for AI supremacy, the markets are betting that the United States will prevail. The chipmaker Nvidia recently became the world’s first $4 trillion company (and its CEO, Jensen Huang, has acquired global rock-star status). Microsoft, the biggest investor in OpenAI’s for-profit entity, is not far behind, with a valuation of $3.7 trillion.

By equating artificial intelligence data flows with national security risks, the United States has effectively designated China as a presumptive problem. This has not only soured the atmosphere for bilateral AI cooperation but also promises to cast a long shadow over global AI collaboration.

U.S. restrictions aimed at obstructing China’s technological development have, in practice, accelerated China’s pursuit of technological self-reliance.

China-U.S. competition in the realm of artificial intelligence boils down to development ability. The advantages of the United States are no longer secure. What matters is who will lead sustainably in the future.

The tech rivalry between China and the United States is fast becoming a key variable in the trajectory of relations. It not only reflects divergent innovation paths but fundamentally reshapes the global technological order.

Digital platforms like RedNote are fostering new cross-Pacific interactions between U.S. and Chinese users, content creators, and celebrities, offering fresh opportunities for cultural exchange amid declining in-person engagement. Despite political tensions and regulatory hurdles, digital spaces are emerging as vital bridges between the two nations.

Yes, they can. As the world’s two major powers in AI technology, the U.S. and China must work together to build capacity, contribute to AI for developing countries, bridge the digital divide and help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

China’s recent successes in tech and entertainment have proven to the world that its creativity and innovation can keep pace with the Western-dominated zeitgeist. How might this translate into China’s relations with states across the globe?