China criticizes AI slowdown calls as 'fearmongering' targeting Chinese development

China has rejected calls by U.S. AI executives to slow down artificial intelligence development, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun labeling the warnings as fearmongering that disrupts global governance. The pushback follows an essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, backed by Sam Altman and Elon Musk, advocating for a paced development framework. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has also dismissed a slowdown, insisting the U.S. must maintain its lead over China. The two nations plan to discuss AI safety at a summit on September 24, 2026.

China rejects AI slowdown calls

• ▪The state-backed Chinese newspaper Global Times published an editorial on September 13, 2026, characterizing Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's proposal to slow AI development as a hypocritical and short-sighted Cold War playbook designed to curb China's technological progress
• ▪Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on September 14, 2026, that fearmongering, confrontation, and vicious competition serve only to disrupt global artificial intelligence governance and are not in anyone's interest

US AI executives' safety warnings

• ▪Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxson warned that there is a strong chance of catastrophic global risk if the current pace of AI development continues, calling for a coordinated slowdown with China
• ▪Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay on September 12, 2026, proposing a framework to pace the development of frontier AI model capabilities to manage safety risks, which was subsequently endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk

US-China AI competition tensions

• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are planning to discuss frontier AI safety risks during a scheduled summit on September 24, 2026
• ▪Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that pacing proposals are limited by the lead U.S. companies hold over China, stating that if the U.S. slows down too much, Chinese Communist Party-associated projects will pull ahead

Chinese AI security priorities

• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed creating an open-source AI community and fostering collaboration among developing nations during the BRICS summit in September 2026
• ▪Chinese State Security Minister Chen Yixin published an article on September 13, 2026, calling for the acceleration of an AI security risk prevention system to guard against hostile forces using models like Anthropic's Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.5-Cyber

Debatable claims

• ▪The United States should slow down frontier AI development to manage safety risks
• ▪Western proposals to slow AI development are a geopolitical tactic to contain China
• ▪The United States and China can successfully coordinate on global AI safety