ANKARA, Dec 16 (AA\/APP): 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 \u201cnational survival\u201d amid a broader struggle for global influence, a researcher said.<\/p>\n
Musab Ergani, a research assistant at the Turkish Diyanet Foundation\u2019s Center for Islamic Studies (ISAM), told Anadolu that the global AI race is primarily between the US and China, with Europe trailing behind.<\/p>\n
Ergani said China\u2019s motivations differ fundamentally from those of Western countries. While the US views AI as a trillion-dollar tool for technological and economic dominance, China sees it as a matter of technological independence and sovereignty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prevailing opinion in China is to associate its \u2018Century of Humiliation\u2019 \u2014 a period spanning across 1839\u20131949 \u2014 with technological backwardness against Western imperialism, which is why, for China, AI is deemed as a tool to establish national sovereignty rather than a market share of commercial opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ergani said this perspective has enabled Beijing to mobilize large-scale resources, provide energy subsidies and tolerate high economic costs to secure technological autonomy, driven by what he described as a survival-focused national strategy.<\/p>\n
He pointed to the launch of DeepSeek R1, a Chinese large language model introduced in January, as a key moment in the US\u2013China AI competition. The model, he said, demonstrated China\u2019s ability to counter hardware restrictions through an \u201casymmetric\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina proved it can turn restrictions into advantage by compensating for its lack of raw processing power with more efficient algorithms,\u201d he said. \u201cThat the DeepSeek model was trained with a modest budget of only $5.6 million and delivered a similar performance compared to the billions of dollars\u2019 worth American competitors shook the US stock markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ergani stated that China is run by a hybrid structure where the state acts as \u201can orchestra conductor,\u201d while the balance between central planning and the free-thinking environment needed for innovation remains one of the country\u2019s greatest paradoxes.<\/p>\n
He noted that more than $900 billion in capital was mobilized between 2014 and 2024 through government guidance funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeijing is trying to follow this hybrid path with the \u2018state-regulated, market-driven\u2019 formula, but this model, which focuses on production volume rather than being market-oriented, has the risk of inefficient distribution of resources,\u201d he said. \u201cChina promotes the private sector to achieve national goals without stifling market dynamism, while trying to keep a tight rein on areas the state deems as uncontrolled growth via strict regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ergani emphasized that the Al race is not only about technological superiority but also about a legitimate struggle over who gets to set the rules of the game, and China is ambitious in transforming its technical capacity into normative power.<\/p>\n
He said China\u2019s approach, which emphasizes \u201ccyber sovereignty\u201d and the state\u2019s right to control the digital sphere, appeals to many developing countries, often referred to as the Global South.<\/p>\n
He cited Chinese Premier Li Qiang\u2019s call in July 2025 for the establishment of a new global AI cooperation mechanism under the UN.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if China can\u2019t technically take the lead, it aims to make its own standards the norm or to erode the Western-centric norms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ergani said the competition over AI will shape the global balance of power but stressed that it extends beyond technology alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AI competition is part of a struggle for hegemony, in which the codes of the global order are being rewritten,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs China aims to become the world leader in AI by 2030, the next five years will be exciting, and the outcome of the race will be determined by technical superiority and by which side manages its internal issues better,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANKARA, Dec 16 (AA\/APP): 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 \u201cnational survival\u201d amid a broader struggle for global influence, a researcher said. Musab Ergani, a […]<\/p>\n
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