Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged a renewed focus on "self-reliance and self-strengthening" in artificial intelligence (AI), according to state media reports on Saturday. His comments come
as China ramps up efforts to compete with the United States in this critical field.
During a Politburo study session on Friday, Xi emphasized the need for China to fully leverage its "new whole national system" to accelerate AI development.
"We must recognize existing gaps and work even harder to drive innovation, industry growth, and AI-driven applications," Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency. He also promised stronger policy support in areas such as government procurement, intellectual property protection, research, and talent development.
Despite facing U.S. sanctions, China has reportedly made significant strides in AI. Chinese startup DeepSeek attracted global attention in January by unveiling an AI reasoning model developed using less advanced chips, offering a more cost-effective alternative to Western models. Additionally, China has advanced in infrastructure and software engineering, narrowing the gap with the U.S.
DeepSeek’s achievements have challenged the view that American restrictions are significantly slowing China's AI progress, a narrative that gained traction after OpenAI's release of ChatGPT in late 2022.
Xi stressed the importance of investing in basic research and mastering critical technologies like high-end chips and foundational software. He called for the creation of an independent and secure AI ecosystem encompassing both software and hardware.
He also highlighted the need to accelerate the development of AI-related regulations and risk management systems, to ensure AI technologies are "safe, reliable, and controllable."
Last year, Xi warned against AI becoming "a game only for rich countries and the wealthy," advocating for more international cooperation and governance in the AI space. Photo by China News Service, Wikimedia commons.
