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Made in China 2025
EconomyChina Economy

Develop and control: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

  • Beijing must ensure firm grasp of area’s core technologies, Chinese leader says
  • Applications range from governance and public security to manufacturing, he says

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Chinese President Xi Jinping says China must develop, control and use artificial intelligence to secure the country’s future. Photo: AFP
Zhou XinandChoi Chi-yuk

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China must develop, control and use artificial intelligence (AI) to secure the country’s future in the next technological and industrial revolution.

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The comments underscored Beijing’s continued ambition for technological dominance despite Washington’s allegations of theft and unfair practices in relation to intellectual property.

Xi made the comments at a Politburo “group study” session about AI, after the Communist Party’s 25-member policymaking body met to decide on a new game plan to handle an expected worsening in the economy from the trade war with the United States, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Washington and Brussels have repeatedly complained about China’s state-sponsored plans such as “Made in China 2025”, in which AI is an important part.

Watch: Beijing’s plan to dominate AI technology

And while many Chinese businesses, from Tencent to Alibaba, are investing heavily into AI, this is the first time that the Chinese leader has gathered the Politburo to study the technology and required the country to embrace it.

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