China Rejects U.S. AI Slowdown Calls as 'Fearmongering' Amid Mutual Concerns

China's Foreign Ministry criticized U.S. technology leaders' calls to slow artificial intelligence development, dismissing them as 'fearmongering' that would hinder global AI governance. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a Beijing briefing on Monday that countries should instead promote "open, inclusive, universally beneficial and ethical" AI development, warning that "confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance."

The rebuke followed an essay by Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei urging a global slowdown in AI capabilities. Amodei argued that a Chinese lead in AI could pose a danger to democracies, warning that without action, AI "agents" could take over the internet in six to twelve months. He also called for steps to "keep democracies' AI lead over autocracies as large as possible." Other major tech leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind chair Demis Hassabis, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, posted support for Amodei's essay, though not specifically endorsing its China-focused recommendations.

Despite China's public dismissal of Western concerns, Chinese officials have simultaneously intensified warnings about AI's risks to the state. State Security Minister Chen Yixin wrote in a state-run magazine that the technology could threaten China's "political security, institutional security, and ideological security," specifically naming U.S. models such as Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's GPT-5.5-Cyber as threats that could be weaponized by "hostile forces." President Xi Jinping warned in July that AI should "always remain under human control."

China's state-run Global Times characterized Amodei's essay as a veiled attempt to "contain" China, describing it as a "cold war playbook" for the AI sector. The U.S. and Chinese leaders are scheduled to discuss AI governance at a meeting planned for September 24. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed broader concerns about AI risks, stating that the only "guardrails" needed are a "STRONG AND SMART" president.