Global Tech Showdown: China Slams US Ban on DeepSeek AI

The United States has issued a ban preventing federal civilian agencies from utilizing products and services from Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, including third-party offerings developed using DeepSeek's technology. The Department of Homeland Security announced this directive, which had been in effect since late July, making it public on Monday. The ban specifically instructs agencies to remove DeepSeek products from their IT systems and prohibits their procurement.

The U.S. justification for the ban, as detailed in a notice in the Federal Register, stems from concerns that DeepSeek's models “present multiple threat vectors.” A primary concern highlighted is that DeepSeek’s servers are located in China, raising the possibility that Chinese authorities could potentially gain access to private company infrastructure and sensitive U.S. data. DeepSeek’s open-source models are widely accessible globally, including in the U.S., and are largely free to use.

In response, China vehemently condemned the U.S. action, warning of potential retaliatory measures. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated in Beijing that China “will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies” and consistently opposes “the overstretching of the concept of national security.” China’s Ministry of Commerce also expressed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition,” accusing the U.S. of disregarding consensus between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, and undermining broader China-U.S. economic and trade relations. The ministry asserted that the U.S. is employing discriminatory restrictions under “the guise of national security” to suppress and contain China, vowing to “take all necessary measures to firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests.” DeepSeek itself did not immediately comment on the matter.

This ban underscores the “depth of strategic distrust between Beijing and Washington” in the escalating AI race, despite ongoing efforts by Presidents Trump and Xi to maintain a “warm and constructive” personal relationship, as noted by George Chen of The Asia Group consultancy. The broader context of U.S.-China AI tensions includes existing U.S.-led restrictions that limit China’s access to advanced AI chips and manufacturing equipment. Furthermore, the U.S. has accused Chinese AI startups, including DeepSeek, of engaging in large-scale “distillation” or extraction of capabilities from frontier American AI models, claims Beijing has denied. Reciprocally, Beijing recently introduced its own proposals to restrict exports of certain advanced AI models.

Despite these significant points of contention, the two nations have made some strides in AI governance collaboration, such as a U.S. proposal for a national security-related incident notification system. However, fundamental disagreements persist. Artificial intelligence is anticipated to be a key topic when Presidents Trump and Xi meet again in mid-November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, following their last meeting in September during Xi’s state visit to Washington.