People’s Daily rejects US claims of malicious AI distillation, warns of countermeasures
Por Minxiao Chang — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Artificial intelligence Tech People’s Daily rejects US claims of malicious AI distillation, warns of countermeasures
Beijing vows to take action if Washington tries to contain China’s firms, as tensions over advanced AI systems heat up before expected Xi-Trump meeting
2 -MIN READ 2 -MIN Listen
Minxiao Chang in Shenzhen Published: 5:35pm, 16 Sep 2026 Updated: 5:39pm, 16 Sep 2026
China’s ruling Communist Party mouthpiece has rejected US allegations that Chinese artificial intelligence companies conducted “industrial-scale” distillation of American frontier models, warning that Beijing would respond if Washington continued to suppress China’s AI industry.
In a commentary published on Wednesday, People’s Daily said the US claims were “without factual or legal basis” and accused Washington of “politicising” a normal technical and commercial practice.
The strong stance came just a week before an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on September 24, where AI may emerge as a key point of dialogue.
The newspaper called for the two sides to “work towards a common goal, and manage risks through dialogue and communication”, and it warned that Beijing would take “countermeasures” if Washington used the allegations as a pretext to contain Chinese companies.
Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
