China’s Strategy for Global AI Governance

This report by Guangyu Qiao-Franco and Annelotte van Beek equips foreign policymakers with a clearer understanding of China’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy in this evolving regulatory landscape.

When OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, the impact and practical applications of AI—particularly Large Language Models (LLMs)—became significantly more tangible through its widespread success. More recently, the development of open-source LLMs by DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup founded in 2023, has sparked renewed enthusiasm about the future of AI, as its models rival those from leading U.S. companies like OpenAI.

Despite this excitement, AI remains a notoriously ambiguous concept, even as its significance and potential impact become increasingly evident to a wide range of stakeholders. As one of the most prominent players in AI, China is both expected and determined to take a leading role in shaping this emerging field of governance.

What is China’s approach to AI regulation? What is the country’s perspective on global AI governance?