China's quest for AI self-reliance undeterred by Trump's new action plan
Analysts said the administration's strategy would intensify the US-China tech rivalry, and with Washington unlikely to loosen its grip, China would have little choice but to double down on self-reliance.
The White House on Wednesday
unveiled its first comprehensive AI strategy since Trump's return to office, outlining plans to tighten export controls on US chipmaking tools and curb the global spread of Chinese AI models.
Trump's AI strategy reflects a subtle shift in rhetoric from the
'small yard, high fence' approach of his predecessor Joe Biden, but in essence little has changed, said Bo Zhengyuan of Plenum.
'So far, the 'yard' hasn't gotten any smaller,' added Bo, a partner at the independent China-focused research platform. 'What's different is the rhetoric – it's now more head-to-head than containment.'
The 28-page action plan tasks the US Commerce Department with closing loopholes in current export restrictions, boosting oversight of end users abroad, and exploring the use of geolocation tools to block access to 'countries of concern' such as China.
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