The Chinese government has formally rejected allegations from United States security agencies that its domestic artificial intelligence companies are engaged in malicious efforts to extract capabilities from advanced American AI systems. Beijing described the claims as unfounded and urged Washington to halt what it characterized as smears against the Chinese technology sector.
The response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed a joint cybersecurity advisory issued by the FBI, the National Security Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The US agencies alleged that Chinese developers have been distilling capabilities from leading American models since at least late 2024, potentially violating terms of service to accelerate their own technological progress.
Details of the US Cybersecurity Advisory
The joint US advisory identified several Chinese firms, including DeepSeek, Alibaba, Moonshot AI, and Z.AI, as participants in these activities. According to the report, these companies allegedly routed requests through multiple channels to gain unauthorized access to prominent models, such as OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and xAI’s Grok. The US agencies further claimed that these firms utilized shared premium subscriptions to lower the costs of large-scale data extraction, describing the activity as an industrial-scale effort to bypass restrictions on frontier AI systems.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed the issue during a recent event at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, asserting that Chinese companies are reliant on distilling American technology. Bessent stated that such practices would prevent China from overtaking the United States in the field of artificial intelligence, maintaining that the US remains ahead in development.
Beijing’s Response and Diplomatic Context
In response to the allegations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China’s advancements in artificial intelligence are the result of high-level technological self-reliance. Mao urged all parties to foster an open and inclusive environment for AI development rather than engaging in accusations. The ministry emphasized that as both nations are major powers in the AI landscape, they should prioritize cooperation over conflict.
The diplomatic friction occurs as both nations prepare for upcoming discussions between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. AI governance is expected to be a key topic on the agenda for these talks, which are scheduled to take place later this month. The Chinese government has maintained that the US should refrain from making what it terms unfounded accusations, calling for a more constructive approach to bilateral relations regarding emerging technologies.
