China says it’s ready for AI talks with US
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
China has declared its willingness to engage in negotiations with the United States on artificial intelligence (AI) issues. However, Beijing has also warned it will take countermeasures if Washington acts against Chinese companies over allegations of stealing AI models, according to Bloomberg.
On Wednesday, China’s Ministry of Commerce denied claims by US intelligence agencies that leading Chinese AI companies had systematically extracted confidential information from American labs on an industrial scale, calling the accusations groundless.
A ministry statement said that China was ready for constructive and professional discussions with the US within a dialogue based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, cooperation, and mutually beneficial outcomes.
However, the spokesperson added that if the US took actions to restrict or suppress Chinese AI companies, China would resolutely take countermeasures in response.
Tensions between the US and China
Bloomberg notes that the conflict over AI model theft has intensified just weeks before Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to visit the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump.
AI has become a key area of technological rivalry between the two countries, as top Chinese models are narrowing the performance gap with leading US systems.
Bloomberg added that US AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic PBC, as well as officials from the Trump administration, have repeatedly accused Chinese firms of stealing models from US companies using a method known as distillation.
On Tuesday, the US National Security Agency (NSA), FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) went even further. In a joint statement, they detailed which US systems were allegedly copied by Chinese companies and explained the methods used.
Among the companies specifically accused were DeepSeek, Moonshot, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., MiniMax, StepFun, and Z.AI Co.
In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce described the process of distillation as a common practice used by AI developers worldwide to learn from each other.
The ministry also suggested that US AI companies might be using Chinese AI models as a foundation for their own developments.
What else is important to know
On July 28, media reported that the Trump administration planned to announce a ban on new Chinese robots and inverters.
It was explained that this move was intended to protect the development of US AI from national security threats and to help the US regain key industries for future growth.
Just days before, billionaire Elon Musk called for not banning the use of Chinese AI models in the US, stating that this would not stop the East's technological progress.
