BEIJING: China has criticized a United States government ban on the use of artificial intelligence tools developed by Chinese startup DeepSeek across US civilian government agencies, accusing Washington of stretching the concept of national security.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed Beijing’s opposition on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, saying China opposed the politicisation of science, technology and trade.
“China has consistently opposed the overstretching of the concept of national security and the politicisation of issues related to science, technology, and trade,” Mao told a news conference.
The reaction followed a decision by the US Department of Homeland Security on Monday to prohibit its agencies from using DeepSeek products, including tools developed by third parties using the company’s technology.
The department warned that the artificial intelligence tools could expose sensitive information to China if used by American government employees or contractors.
According to the US agency, DeepSeek’s servers are located in China, where authorities have extensive legal powers to access private companies’ infrastructure. It also cited multiple potential security risks associated with the company’s AI models.
The Department of Homeland Security can issue directives to civilian government agencies, although its authority does not extend to the military and intelligence services.
China’s government pledged to protect Chinese businesses amid the dispute, which reflects growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over technological leadership and national security.
DeepSeek attracted global attention in January 2025 after unveiling a relatively low-cost, high-performance AI chatbot that challenged assumptions about the cost of developing advanced artificial intelligence systems.
The company subsequently released its V4 model in April 2026 and updated a faster, lighter version earlier in October, further intensifying competition in the AI industry.
Washington has also accused leading Chinese artificial intelligence companies of systematically acquiring capabilities developed by American competitors. Such allegations have added to concerns over intellectual property, data security and technological competition between the two countries.
Despite the tensions, China and the United States agreed in September to establish a communication channel for addressing artificial intelligence-related incidents.
The issue could feature in discussions when the countries’ leaders meet at a planned summit in Shenzhen, China, next month.
The dispute highlights the growing divide between the world’s two largest economies over the development, deployment and security of advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
