China fears AI companies will become a "bargaining chip" in US-China negotiations

The Wall Street Journal revealed on February 28 that Chinese officials are instructing the country's leading researchers and entrepreneurs in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) to avoid traveling to the United States.

The US and China are in a global AI race. (Source: Reuters)

According to the Wall Street Journal , Beijing is concerned that Chinese AI experts traveling abroad could reveal confidential information about the development of the country of a billion people.

In addition, the Chinese government also fears that executives could be arrested and become "bargaining chips" in US-China negotiations.

Recently, Chinese startup DeepSeek launched AI models that it claims can compete with, and even surpass, leading US companies like OpenAI and Google, at a lower cost.

However, the White House and the Chinese State Council Information Office have yet to respond.

In January 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with top figures in the country's technology industry, calling on them to "show their talents" and trust the Chinese model and market.

Accordingly, Chinese executives who decide to go abroad must report their plans before leaving, and upon returning must also inform the authorities about what they did and who they met.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that DeepSeek founder Luong Van Phong declined an invitation to attend an AI summit in Paris in February. Previously, another founder of a major AI startup in China also canceled a trip to the US after receiving instructions from Beijing.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trung-quoc-lo-so-cac-doanh-nghiep-ai-tro-thanh-con-bai-mac-ca-trong-dam-phan-my-trung-306031.html