‘Two sessions’, two paths: China prioritises AI integration amid US tech rivalry

China is positioning artificial intelligence as a central pillar of its national scientific agenda during the annual 'Two Sessions' legislative meeting, with a clear focus on integration into the forthcoming five-year plan. This strategic move underscores a deepening technological rivalry with the United States, as the two superpowers pursue fundamentally different paths for AI development. China's approach, exemplified by companies like DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax, champions an open-source model that has rapidly scaled global usage and accelerated domestic adoption across critical sectors including healthcare, energy, and transportation. This stands in stark contrast to the predominantly closed-source, commercial models developed by leading US firms.

The divergence in strategy has significant implications for the global tech ecosystem. China's open-source push aims to embed AI deeply into daily life and industrial processes, potentially speeding the deployment of AI-reliant technologies. Meanwhile, the US approach, led by companies like Anthropic, focuses on proprietary development, which may limit widespread integration. The rivalry intensified recently with Anthropic accusing Chinese firms of extracting capabilities from its Claude model. This clash of philosophies—open collaboration versus guarded innovation—will shape not only the pace of AI adoption but also the geopolitical landscape of technology leadership for years to come.