Officials from top web watchdog and advisory body call for greater regional cooperation, end to ‘zero-sum’ mindsets amid US tariff risks.
United States efforts to curb China, artificial intelligence (AI) advancements are likely to boomerang on itself, a top Chinese cyberspace official has warned, while calling for increased regional collaboration.
Sun Weimin, chief engineer at the Cyberspace Administration of China, made the comments at the World Internet Conference Asia Pacific Summit in Hong Kong on Monday.
“Attempts to contain China’s development in AI will ultimately only constrain [the US’] own progress,” she said. “The US has recently been wielding the tariff stick on a global scale — but what will be the ultimate outcome? History suggests high tariffs tend to disrupt global value chains for high-tech products and hamper the pace of global innovation.”
China and the US have been caught up in a tariff war following the nation-specific duties imposed by the US.
Chinese officials at the conference called on the world to “transcend the zero-sum mindset” and “abandon technological bullying” to push for better AI development.
Amid the risks brought by the US–China disputes, countries in the region should work together and leverage technological cooperation to consolidate the security and stability of global supply chains, they said.
Wang Yong, vice-chairman of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, set China advocated for respecting the cyber sovereignty and governance model of all countries, while rejecting “zero-sum games and technological bullying.”
Traditional risks persisted and the new security variables had emerged in cyberspace, Wang warned in his keynote speech.
He also suggested China and other countries use “technology is a thread to weave closer world economic ties” and work jointly to “safeguard the security and stability of global industrial, supply, and technological chains.”
Sun called on all parties worldwide to “move beyond zero-sum thinking” and “work together to build collaborative networks that transcend national borders and span across sectors.”
By upholding the principles of openness countries could share foundational AI models through open-source platforms, promote integrated development of computing power, and lower barriers to technology adoption, she said.
China had often been seen as a “fast follower”, limited to replicating Western innovation, but DeepSeek’s success rebutted that perception, Sun said, referring to the Chinese start-up. She cited the need to embrace an open-source approach to spur innovation.
“A nation's strength does not lie solely in whether it invents a new technology first, but in its ability to scale and apply that technology efficiently across industries,” Sun said. “Relying solely on subsidies, regulations or sanctions is never a sustainable path.”
Источник: SCMP
