For whatever reason—maybe it was the 145% tariffs, maybe it was the kidnapping of a foreign leader, or the sudden and undeclared rush to war with Iran—China’s President Xi Jinping doesn’t seem to think relying on America is going to be the best idea for his nation going forward. On Thursday, the nation’s head of state introduced a customary five-year plan at the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress. The next half-decade for China, per the plan, could be best described as pursuing technological leaps and weaning itself off dependence on the US.
According to Reuters, Xi’s plan calls for China to “seize the commanding heights of science and technological development” and seek “decisive breakthroughs in key core technologies.” Those technologies include quantum computing, alternative energy sources like hydrogen and fusion energy, 6G mobile networks—and, of course, AI. “In the midst of fierce international competition, we must win the strategic initiative,” the plan said, per the New York Times.
Depending on who you ask, China has already built itself a bit of a cushion in the tech arms race. In fact, Reuters reported that China’s state-planning body issued its own report that claimed the country is already outpacing others in AI research and development. Journalist Rebecca Fannin, author of the upcoming book “The New Tech Titans of China,” recently made claims along similar lines, based on China’s heavy and rapid investment in research and development that has led to breakthroughs like the open-source AI model DeepSeek.
Xi’s five-year document includes an “AI+ action plan” that calls for the nation to invest more in robotics that can be deployed to perform tasks in industries experiencing labor shortages. It also called for a rapid expansion and deployment of AI agents that can perform autonomous tasks.
As it pushes to achieve those goals, the country is also looking to cut America out of the supply chain. The reality for China is that, despite its own breakthroughs with AI and other emerging technologies, it has continued to rely on American tech. The country has continued to use Nvidia’s GPUs to train its AI models, including DeepSeek, and has struggled to homebrew a viable alternative. But it’s going to make a concerted effort to ditch US-based tech going forward. It also intends to do everything in its power to hold onto its control of rare earths that are key to chip manufacturing, per NYT.
It’s not hard to see the potential for China to position itself to shake up the US-led world order. In recent months, China cut a new trade deal with Canada, and the European Union and South America crafted a free trade agreement without the US involved. The Trump administration seems set on isolating just about everyone (except Israel) as it attempts to flex its strength, both militarily and economically. Suddenly, dealing with China might seem more predictable and reliable than dealing with Trump, however many terms he plans to serve.
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