Artificial intelligence continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, and Chinese large language models, known for their open-source nature, high quality and cost-effectiveness, have gained traction among users worldwide, including in the United States.

This trend underscores the vitality of global technological exchanges and the benefits of open innovation. Yet, recent developments highlight the US administration's attempts to weaponize normal issues in this sector, turning a shared technological frontier into a zero-sum game, which could hinder healthy competition and collaboration in AI.

On Tuesday, the US National Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly published a cybersecurity advisory, baselessly accusing six Chinese companies, including DeepSeek and Moonshot AI, of conducting so-called "aggressive, malicious and targeted" industrial-scale distillation campaigns against US AI companies since, at least, late 2024.

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As China's Ministry of Commerce rightly pointed out in a statement released on Wednesday in response, these accusations are groundless; the US administration is politicizing and instrumentalizing a common practice through which AI models learn from one another; and it is widely used by companies around the world, including US companies. It is clear evidence of the US' push for technological hegemony, monopolizing computing power, and suppressing competition in the field of AI.

The US advisory escalates a dispute over AI distillation that has been building since February, when OpenAI first told US lawmakers that DeepSeek was running "sophisticated, multistage pipelines" to copy its models.

A groundless allegation that notably warned that this could erode the competitive edge that US companies enjoy, especially as AI becomes integral to defense, biotech, and other strategic sectors. Such scaremongering was aimed at securing assistance in the form of government restrictions to help OpenAI in its pursuit of monopoly.

It is due to the parameter efficiency and cost structure advantages of Chinese models that more and more US companies are opting to use Chinese large language models for training and developing their own AI models.

The bid to foster unfounded suspicion of China's AI models is simply part of the US administration's pursuit of technological dominance for the country by stifling competition. This not only undermines the fundamental principles of scientific inquiry and international cooperation but also makes it hard for the two sides to work together to address the risks and challenges arising from the rapid development of AI.

Notably, Chinese and US economic and trade teams are consulting on a framework for reciprocal tariff reductions covering $30 billion, with a view to early implementation, a spokesperson for China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday. This signals a shared willingness to steady economic ties — a cooperative approach that ought naturally to extend to the AI sector, which now permeates most major economic fields.

China and the US should join hands to tackle the challenges and risks in the AI field with a proactive and responsible attitude. This is the right path forward — one that recognizes that AI governance requires international collaboration, not unilateral confrontation. Only collaboration can help pave the way for the development of AI in a healthy and orderly manner, so as to bring benefits to all of humanity.

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The two sides have already agreed to engage in government-to-government dialogue on AI. However, if Washington takes actions to suppress Chinese AI enterprises under the pretext of combating distillation, China will surely take resolute countermeasures. The outcome of this will be a lose-lose scenario that benefits neither side.

The AI race between major countries should not be a battleground for geopolitical dominance but an opportunity for collaboration that benefits the world as a whole.

It is imperative that some policymakers in Washington recognize the potential of AI as a force for good, transcending national boundaries and contributing to global prosperity.