China rebukes Anthropic CEO's call for AI restrictions

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday pushed back against a call by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for the United States to curb China's artificial intelligence capabilities, describing the proposal as a "Cold War" tactic.

At a regular press conference, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: "Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance which serves no one's interest." The ministry said all sides should work together on AI.

Amodei, in a lengthy essay published on Saturday, warned that a "Chinese lead in AI would pose grave danger for the United States and the world." He called for continuing restrictions on sales of cutting-edge AI chips and chipmaking equipment to China, and said that "global pacing will require cooperation with China, the autocratic country with by far the most advanced AI capabilities."

Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Amodei acknowledged that one of the most difficult questions surrounding his proposal would arise if China and other countries considered adversaries by the United States chose not to slow their own AI development. He also said the "toughest dilemma" was if China and other adversarial nations chose not to do the same.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump downplayed calls for his administration to step in to slow down AI development, saying the U.S. was leading China on AI and that "whoever wins AI, wins." Trump told reporters that the U.S. was "the most sophisticated country in the world" and he wanted to "keep it that way."

Amodei dismissed claims that his proposal was a "Cold War playbook," saying the goal was "to make sure the other side cannot establish a tech chokepoint over them."

A call between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected on September 24, with AI governance on the agenda. Xi has previously called for setting up a global AI governance framework among Global South nations, while Trump has indicated he expected the two leaders to discuss AI.