China Rejects US AI Slowdown Pleas, Sees Hegemony Trap

Beijing has publicly rejected appeals from US tech leaders to pause advanced AI development, framing them as a US ploy to cement dominance. The stance signals a hardening of the US-China AI rivalry ahead of a planned Trump-Xi discussion on AI. The outcome of that dialogue will determine whether this escalates into a full-blown tech cold war or yields a fragile governance framework.