THE CRUNCH
China has sharply criticised warnings about AI risks from U.S. leaders, calling them fearmongering intended to stifle its own progress. The state-run Global Times accused Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei of waging a 'silent AI Cold War' to lock in an American advantage. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun argued that such confrontation would disrupt global AI governance. Meanwhile, U.S. President Trump has rejected a
Chinese officials have pushed back against U.S. calls for a controlled slowdown in advanced AI development. State Security Minister Chen Yixin warned of AI misuse by hostile forces, singling out Anthropic's Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.5-Cyber models. However, unlike U.S. tech leaders, Chen emphasised the need for faster infrastructure buildout and tighter supervision rather than a development pause.
Tsinghua researcher Sun Chenghao suggested that Beijing fears Washington could invoke safety or national security concerns to justify broader tech restrictions. This perspective implies that calls for a slowdown are not purely about safety but are a strategic tool to maintain a technological edge. The debate intensifies ahead of a planned summit between U.S. President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.