George Gallwey
Just as space dominance once symbolized global power during the Cold War, artificial intelligence now sits at the center of a high-stakes geo-strategic competition between the U.S. and China. But technological breakthroughs alone will not determine the outcome. A parallel battle over governance, in terms of who sets the rules, norms, and standards, may prove equally decisive in shaping not just AI, but the global balance of power.
In late July, China announced its Global Artificial Intelligence Governance Action Plan. The timing was conspicuously close to the Trump administration’s own recently released strategy, entitled Winning the Race. While Western attention has often focused on Beijing’s AI surveillance state and its drive for frontier-model supremacy, this plan signals a notable rhetorical, if not strategic, pivot. Increasingly, China now casts itself as a responsible global actor in contrast to a more isolationist and combative United States. By championing multilateralism and “shared governance” in AI, Beijing aims to embed its technologies and influence abroad before Washington can set the agenda. As Liza Tobin argued in her analysis of Xi’s global governance strategy, these moves are rarely ad hoc in nature. Rather, they form part of a systematic effort to reshape international norms and institutions in China’s favor. The AI plan should be read as a continuation of this broader project.
The US plan frames artificial intelligence as a transformative technology capable of shifting the global balance of power. It positions AI development and governance as a national security imperative, integrating domestic innovation, strategic partnerships, and foreign policy to safeguard American interests. A central pillar of the strategy is building a US-led alliance, promoting US-aligned safety standards, software, and hardware, and creating a web of interoperability that binds allies and partners to the American technology stack.
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