China: China is asserting its presence in the artificial intelligence (AI) field, long dominated by the US, as Beijing increasingly views the technology as vital to its 'national survival' amid a broader struggle for global influence, a researcher said. Musab Ergani, a research assistant at the Turkish Diyanet Foundation's Center for Islamic Studies (ISAM), highlighted this perspective.
According to Anadolu Agency, Ergani explained that the global AI race is primarily between the US and China, with Europe trailing behind. He noted that China's motivations in pursuing AI differ fundamentally from those of Western countries. Whereas the US views AI as a lucrative tool for technological and economic dominance, China considers it a matter of technological independence and sovereignty.
Ergani pointed out that in China, there is a prevailing opinion linking the country's 'Century of Humiliation'-a period spanning 1839 to 1949-with technological backwardness against Western imperialism. For China, AI is seen as a tool to establish national sovereignty rather than merely a commercial opportunity. This viewpoint has enabled Beijing to mobilize significant resources, provide energy subsidies, and tolerate high economic costs to secure technological autonomy, all driven by a survival-focused national strategy.
A significant milestone in the US-China AI competition, Ergani suggested, was the launch of DeepSeek R1, a Chinese large language model introduced in January. This model demonstrated China's ability to counter hardware restrictions through an 'asymmetric' strategy. Ergani highlighted that China turned restrictions into an advantage by using more efficient algorithms to compensate for its lack of raw processing power. The DeepSeek model, trained with a budget of only $5.6 million, delivered comparable performance to its American competitors, which shook the US stock markets.
Ergani also described China's governance structure as a hybrid system where the state acts as "an orchestra conductor." This balance between central planning and the free-thinking environment needed for innovation remains one of China's greatest challenges. More than $900 billion in capital was mobilized through government guidance funds between 2014 and 2024.
China's attempt to follow a 'state-regulated, market-driven' formula may risk inefficient distribution of resources, Ergani noted. The country promotes the private sector to achieve national goals without stifling market dynamism, while maintaining strict regulations in areas deemed as uncontrolled growth.
Ergani emphasized that the AI race is not only about technological superiority but also about who gets to set global norms. China's approach of emphasizing 'cyber sovereignty' and the state's right to control the digital sphere appeals to many developing countries, often referred to as the Global South. He cited Chinese Premier Li Qiang's call in July 2025 for a new global AI cooperation mechanism under the UN.
Ergani concluded that the competition over AI will shape the global balance of power, and it extends beyond technology alone. He described the AI competition as part of a struggle for hegemony, with the global order's codes being rewritten. As China aims to become the world leader in AI by 2030, the next five years promise to be pivotal in determining the outcome of this race, based on both technical superiority and internal management.
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