Full Breakdown
China Vows to Block Any Nation’s AI Dominance, Citing U.S. Militarisation
9/7/2026, 2:02:32 PM
China’s Stance on Global AI Dominance
At the inaugural Penang Peace Dialogue in Malaysia, Victor Gao, vice-president of the Beijing-based think tank Centre for China and Globalisation, argued that China will not allow any country to achieve supremacy in artificial intelligence. Gao warned that the United States is “weaponising and militarising” AI, embedding the technology in weapons systems from drones to ballistic missiles and in everyday software. He contrasted China’s open-source development approach with what he described as the United States’ closed-source, militarily driven strategy, and asserted that China’s control of rare-earth resources would further limit U.S. capabilities for “AI for evil.”
Context of the AI Geopolitical Debate
The discussion reflects a broader perception of AI as a new geopolitical fault line. Analysts at the forum highlighted the risk that an unchecked AI arms race could reshape global stability. The Centre for China and Globalisation, known for research on trade and foreign relations, frames its position as a defensive response to perceived U.S. attempts to leverage economic and military power to dominate AI development.
Official Perspectives from China, the United States and Analysts
Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, echoed Gao’s criticism, describing the U.S. approach as driven by a “military-industrial-digital complex” that seeks maximal militarisation of AI. Sachs dismissed the feasibility of such a strategy, calling it economically and militarily impossible. Meanwhile, Joanna Lei, chairwoman of Taiwan’s National Women’s League, highlighted China’s open-weight model Kimi K3 as a potential shift away from Western-centric technology paradigms, noting that the competition is moving from a race for the most powerful model to one focused on large-scale deployment.
Implications for Global Technology Competition
If China pursues tighter control over rare-earth supplies and continues to promote open-source AI, the balance of technological power could tilt toward Asia, which already accounts for more than half of global growth and population. The dialogue’s participants called for multilateral AI governance frameworks to curb military applications, suggesting that without such cooperation the AI race may deepen existing geopolitical tensions.
