Innovation, ecosystem, cooperation: Three foundations of China's AI

From satellite programs to artificial intelligence, China's pursuit of innovation has never paused.

By pushing beyond technological blockades and navigating an increasingly fragmented global landscape, Chinese researchers and companies continue to make breakthroughs in core AI capabilities.

Huawei has developed world-class computing supernodes and clusters, while DeepSeek's open-source large models — known for their low cost and high efficiency — have offered new pathways for global AI development.

The Financial Times noted that DeepSeek's open-source AI model "shocked" the international tech community, and stressed that "DeepSeek is not an isolated case". Germany's Die Zeit likewise observed that this is far from the first time China's high-tech sector has won global attention with innovative products.

How China has propelled this "surge" of technological breakthroughs and application-driven deployments in AI has prompted deeper reflection among industry professionals worldwide, and sustained interest across multiple fields.

I. A dynamic and fast-growing ecosystem

As of June 2024, China boasted more than 4,500 AI companies, with the core AI industry approaching a scale of 600 billion yuan ($86.39 billion).

The country has preliminarily built a relatively complete AI industrial system, supported by a software developer community of more than 9.4 million people. China is now home to the second-largest amount of open-source contributors globally, with this figure growing at an unrivalled rate.

China's AI development advances on two tracks: strengthening core technologies while accelerating real-world applications to upgrade industry. With one of the world's richest arrays of application scenarios, China provides a unique testing ground where AI moves from being merely "usable" to becoming "reliable" and applicable at scale.

The country was among the first to propose the concept of "AI+", which has since been applied across manufacturing, healthcare, meteorology, transportation, finance, education and agriculture.

Today, Chinese entities account for around 60 percent of global AI patents. The ModelScope (MoDa) open-source community hosts more than 120,000 models and serves over 20 million developers worldwide, illustrating the breadth and openness of this innovation ecosystem.

II. An enabling government cultivating a healthy industry

China's AI development is enterprise-driven, market-oriented, application-focused, research-backed and talent-based. The role of government is to create an enabling environment —encouraging innovation while ensuring well-calibrated governance.

At the national level, for example, the State Council issued the Guidelines on Deepening the "AI+" Initiative in 2025, using coordinated policy tools to align technological innovation with practical deployment and to improve the matching of supply and demand as well as the commercialization of research results.

At the local level, cities such as Hangzhou have adopted an approach of "responsive support without unnecessary interference", coordinating key factors including computing power, data access, application scenarios and capital to give firms greater predictability and confidence.

Within this ecosystem, a number of companies have grown through verifiable projects and outcomes: DeepSeek continues to iterate and open-source its large models; Unitree and DEEP-Robotics are deploying robots in public demonstrations and power-grid inspection; Manycore is advancing industrialization in spatial intelligence and design platforms; BrainCo focuses on non-invasive brain–computer interfaces; and Game Science has driven the integration of content and technology through projects such as Black Myth: Wukong.

Together, these examples reflect a development pattern in which policy guidance, factor support and rule-based governance jointly nurture a resilient AI industry.

III. International cooperation for mutual benefit

China develops AI to foster new productive forces, support high-quality economic growth and advance Chinese modernization — not to engage in unchecked global competition.

To that end, China has proposed the International Cooperation Initiative on "AI+", calling for deeper policy dialogue and practical cooperation across five priority areas: improving people’s livelihoods, advancing science and technology, expanding industrial applications, enriching culture, and cultivating talent.

Concretely, China has donated AI-powered multi-hazard early-warning systems to developing countries such as Mongolia and Djibouti, and supported the more efficient operation of Brazil's power grid and mining sites in Thailand. In Cambodia's southern Takeo Province, farmers participating in a China-supported smart agriculture program have significantly improved the survival rate and quality of giant freshwater prawns through AI applications.

China believes AI should be a global public good that benefits all of humanity, not a game reserved for a few wealthy countries or individuals. It supports the United Nations as the main channel for global AI governance and has put forward initiatives such as the Inclusive AI Capacity-Building Plan and the Global AI Governance Action Plan, aiming to help the international community — especially the Global South —advance AI in a direction that is responsible, inclusive and beneficial to all.

The author is an observer of international affairs.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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