China slams U.S. tech leaders' AI slowdown plea as fearmongering

China rejects U.S. tech calls to slow AI development

At a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the push by U.S. executives to temper the speed of artificial‑intelligence research was “fearmongering, confrontation and malicious competition” that would only hinder global AI governance. He urged nations to promote “open, inclusive, universally beneficial and ethical” AI, adding that the rhetoric serves no one’s interests.

Who is urging a slowdown and why?

The Chinese rebuttal followed a weekend essay by Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, titled We Must Pace The Frontier. Amodei argued that the rapid improvement of large‑language models outpaces existing safeguards and called for companies to deliberately slow development, warning that a “Chinese lead in AI would pose grave danger for the United States and the world.”

OpenAI’s Sam Altman backed Amodei’s proposal, suggesting independent evaluators be given “employee‑like access” to AI systems. Elon Musk also voiced support, saying the Anthropic chief was “right” about the need for restraint.

Beijing’s response and broader security concerns

Guo’s remarks did not address the specific oversight mechanisms Amodei proposed. Instead, he framed the slowdown plea as part of a “Cold War playbook”. The statement echoed a more aggressive tone from the state‑run Global Times, which called the essay “packed with containment provisions targeting China”.

China’s own security establishment has been vocal about AI risks. Chen Yixin, China’s State Security Minister, told reporters Sunday that misuse of AI by adversaries threatens “political and ideological security as well as critical infrastructure”. He urged an “accelerated establishment of a system for preventing and controlling AI security risks” while emphasizing the need for “extensive international cooperation”.

The U.S. side of the debate

President Donald Trump dismissed the safety concerns, telling reporters that the United States is “leading China in AI” and that “whoever wins AI wins”. He framed the calls for a slowdown as “very negative forces” that won’t happen under his administration.

The friction over AI mirrors a broader dispute that erupted last week when U.S. agencies warned that top Chinese AI firms have been “systematically copying” cutting‑edge models from American companies. Beijing rejected that accusation, saying its firms are merely “building on open‑source research”.

What the clash means for global AI governance

Analysts say the diverging approaches could stall any multilateral framework. Ja Ian Chong, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, told NBC News the situation reflects “deep mutual suspicion” and likens it to an arms race. By contrast, Theo Bertram, director of the London‑based Social Market Foundation, argued that separate domestic regulations in the U.S. and China might still pave the way for shared accountability.

The dispute is set to surface again when President Xi Jinping meets President Trump in Washington on Sept. 24. Xi has been promoting open‑source AI collaboration among the Global South, while the United States pushes for stricter oversight.

Bottom line

China’s foreign ministry has framed the U.S. tech leaders’ slowdown appeal as a geopolitical tactic rather than a safety measure, insisting that AI development should remain open and collaborative. With both superpowers entrenched in a rivalry that now extends to the algorithmic frontier, the prospect of a coordinated global governance model looks increasingly remote.