Editorial Flash: All countries have right to develop AI

On the basis that they are thought to employ US technology, the United States Department of Commerce issued a guidance last week saying that Huawei's Ascend semiconductors are subject to US export controls and therefore they are not to be used by any entity in any country and region.

The guidance was issued one day after China and the US issued a joint statement on the economic and trade discussions they held in Geneva on May 12 in which both sides acknowledged "the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship" and their commitment to "moving forward" on the basis of mutual respect.

Once again, the US is saying one thing and doing another.

The US has left China no choice but to take necessary measures to safeguard its own rights and interests. The Ministry of Commerce therefore announced on Wednesday that any organization or individual that implements or assists in implementing these measures may be held legally accountable in accordance with China's laws and regulations including the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

It is absolutely necessary, as a ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, for China to closely monitor the development of the US measures and take resolute actions to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

Unlike its previous China-targeted measures, the US move also deprives other countries and regions of their right to develop advanced computing chips and high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence.

As the Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said, the US attempt to globally ban advanced Chinese computing chips is a typical move of "unilateral bullying and protectionism" that seriously undermines the global semiconductor industry and supply chains.

To US policymakers, the legitimacy of their restrictive trade policies is not determined by whether they accord with relevant world trade rules and conventions but whether they safeguard the US' leading position in strategic sectors. It once again exposes the coercive and hegemonic nature of the US move.

Every economy deserves the autonomy and right to plan and promote its own development in the AI sector, which should not be subject to the will of any other country.

Relevant parties should join hands to safeguard a just and fair world trade order based on rules with the World Trade Organization at its core.

Innovation-driven development and mutually beneficial cooperation are the prevailing global trends. The US administration should immediately correct its wrongdoing, abide by international economic and trade rules, and respect other countries' legitimate rights to scientific and technological development.

It is not China that is compelling other economies to forgo the development of AI but the US. China supports all global enterprises in carrying out scientific and technological cooperation based on market principles to achieve win-win outcomes and promote innovation for the benefit of all.