The United States restricts DeepSeek and other Chinese companies; China says it will take necessary measures in response

The U.S. government has recently introduced a series of restrictive measures targeting Chinese artificial intelligence companies. In response, China's Ministry of Commerce responded twice on the 20th, urging the U.S. side to stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies, otherwise it will take necessary measures in response and firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

According to reports on the 20th by the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and other media, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the 19th ordered federal civil administrative agencies to remove technology developed by Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek from their information technology systems, while also prohibiting future procurement of products and services from DeepSeek and its affiliated companies. The ban also extends to third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek technology. The U.S. side said the move was made under the 2018 Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, but the relevant notice did not specify the so-called security risks or clarify a removal deadline.

The Wall Street Journal said the U.S. move comes as China-U.S. competition in artificial intelligence continues to intensify. Previous research has shown that Chinese AI developers are rapidly narrowing the gap with their American competitors, with the technological gap in some areas already shortened to a few months.

At the same time, the U.S. government has also directed sanctions at another five Chinese companies. Also on the 19th, the U.S. State Department announced that, under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, it was imposing sanctions on Shanghai Zhisuan Technology Co., Ltd., MiraclePlus (Beijing) Investment Management Co., Ltd. and three other affiliated entities on the grounds of so-called "trade secret theft," involving measures such as asset freezes and restrictions on financing and financial transactions.

Regarding the U.S. DeepSeek ban, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said in a response on the 20th that China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition. The Ministry of Commerce said the U.S. side ignores the important consensus reached by the Chinese and U.S. heads of state, disregards the overall situation of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, and uses so-called national security as a pretext to take discriminatory restrictive measures against Chinese AI companies. This is a typical act of overgeneralizing the concept of national security and abusing administrative means to suppress Chinese companies, essentially politicizing and instrumentalizing sci-tech and economic and trade issues and using the name of national security to carry out suppression and containment. This seriously harms the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, undermines a fair competitive market environment, and disrupts normal commercial cooperation in the China-U.S. AI field.

Regarding the U.S. sanctions on five Chinese companies, the Ministry of Commerce said the same day, "The U.S. side hypes the so-called issue of 'trade secret theft,' stigmatizes Chinese companies and imposes sanctions, seriously harming the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. The nature is egregious, and China firmly opposes it." The Ministry of Commerce said the rapid development of Chinese AI companies is attributable to long-term deep engagement in basic research and sustained investment in innovation, and is the result of adhering to independent sci-tech innovation and open cooperation. It benefits the people of China and the United States and the world, and has nothing to do with the so-called "trade secret theft."

The Ministry of Commerce urged the U.S. side to correct its erroneous practices as soon as possible, otherwise it will take necessary measures in response and firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

At a regular press conference of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs held on the 20th, regarding the U.S. measures restricting DeepSeek, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "China has consistently opposed overgeneralizing the concept of national security and politicizing sci-tech and economic and trade issues. We will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies."

Zhou Mi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, said in an interview with a Global Times reporter on the 21st that the U.S. side's attempt to use administrative means to restrict Chinese companies from participating in AI competition in fact also deprives American users of the right to independently choose technologies and services, which will have a negative impact.

"If companies have no right to choose, they may be forced to use riskier tools." Zhou Mi believes that the U.S. side's attempt to address so-called security risks through administrative restrictions is not only inefficient, but may also fail to truly reduce market costs and security hazards.

Source of this article: Global Times Risk Disclosure and Disclaimer

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