Addressing a high-profile gathering of the U.S.-China Business Council, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng issued a strategic call for the two superpowers to pivot from technological confrontation toward a collaborative framework for artificial intelligence. Xie characterized the current moment as a critical juncture where AI could either serve as a 'stairway' for human advancement or a trigger for a new era of geopolitical fragmentation.
The Ambassador’s rhetoric was pointed, explicitly warning against the creation of a 'technical Iron Curtain' or the eruption of an 'AI version of Star Wars.' By invoking these Cold War metaphors, Beijing is signaling its deep concern over Washington’s tightening export controls and the 'small yard, high fence' policy that has increasingly isolated China’s tech sector from critical American hardware and software ecosystems.
Central to Xie’s proposal is the mobilization of the private sector, which he described as the 'main force' of innovation. He urged American business leaders to act as 'frontrunners' in a new race toward cross-border integration, suggesting that the industry should work to dismantle the barriers—market, technical, and industrial—that currently hinder bilateral synergy in emerging technologies.
This diplomatic push emphasizes the need for 'AI for Good' and inclusive development, arguing that the global leadership of both nations necessitates a shared responsibility to manage the technology's risks. Xie’s remarks suggest that China seeks to utilize established intergovernmental dialogue mechanisms to transform AI from a point of friction into a 'new frontier' of constructive engagement, provided both sides can move past zero-sum competition.