appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Jeffrey Wu

While the US and China tighten the screws on their respective artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems, a quieter, more complex battle is playing out beneath the surface. This isn’t just about two superpowers clashing over chips and compute – it’s about two versions of what it means to be Chinese in tech, and which one ends up shaping the future.
At the heart of it is talent. The United States remains the dominant hub for top AI minds – 27 per cent of elite AI researchers work there. But here’s the twist: nearly four in 10 of them are of Chinese origin. A growing share of Chinese nationals who earn AI-related PhDs abroad work in the US, contributing to foundational research at institutions such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Stanford.
As AI becomes the centrepiece of national industrial strategies, this cross-border flow of talent is no longer just academic – it’s strategic.
Many of these researchers cut their teeth in China’s rigorous education system, then crossed the Pacific to laboratories and start-ups in the US. It’s a dynamic mirrored at the International Mathematical Olympiad: the faces on the winning team – be it China, the US or Canada – often look the same.
Chinese-origin students dominate not just the podiums but the pipeline, suggesting that in fields driven by technical depth and global competition, identity increasingly transcends borders. This cross-pollination is visible even at companies like Elon Musk’s xAI, where at least one-third of the founding team are of Chinese heritage.
In the US, Chinese-origin researchers are building frontier models, launching billion-dollar companies and publishing in the open. Some of the most ambitious AI start-ups – including Scale AI, Covariant, SambaNova and even Zoom – are led by individuals of Chinese heritage who have built their careers in Silicon Valley.

China, meanwhile, has made huge strides. It is producing more STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates annually than any country and has rolled out AI at scale in everything from city infrastructure to consumer apps. Alibaba (the owner of the South China Morning Post), Tencent and emerging players like DeepSeek – which gained attention with its open-source models – have proven they can build large language models that compete globally.
In 2022, China accounted for 61.1 per cent of the world’s AI patents, while the US held 20.9 per cent – a sharp reversal from 2010, when the US led with 54.1 per cent. The volume tells its own story: China is not just in the AI race, it’s overwhelming the field in output. Its regulatory approach has drawn criticism for being heavy-handed – the Cyberspace Administration enforces the rules on generative AI – but the country is showing signs of adapting.
There’s a growing wave of Chinese researchers and scientists choosing to return home. For some, it’s about reconnecting with their roots. For others, China now offers the resources, institutional support and the scale necessary to pursue ambitious academic and commercial goals. The government’s rising investment in higher education has created opportunities at its top universities, which compete aggressively for global talent based on merit, not background.
AI scientist Zhu Songchun, for instance, returned to China after leading the UCLA Centre for Vision, Cognition, Learning and Autonomy. He now heads the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Peking University and is helping establish the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence.
Similarly, Tingwen Huang, one of the world’s most cited AI scholars, recently returned after two decades abroad to join the Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology as a chair professor. Research hubs like the Beijing Academy of AI and Nanjing University are also making serious plays to bring home top talent.

Despite these gains, challenges remain. Research suggests that most Chinese AI PhDs in the US still choose to stay after graduating. But the trend may be softening as China builds more attractive ecosystems for returnees – particularly those seeking leadership roles or a long-term stability that might be more elusive in the West.
Meanwhile, the US has its issues. The “China Initiative”, now retired, and a wave of high-profile investigations left a mark. Even today, visa uncertainty and heightened scrutiny have made some researchers wary. Paradoxically, it’s this same group – Chinese-born, US-based, globally minded – that both countries quietly rely on to drive progress.
Many of these researchers don’t see themselves as geopolitical actors. They’re problem solvers. Yet their career choices are increasingly viewed through a nationalist lens. It’s a strange position to be in – fluent in two cultures and coding languages, always under scrutiny. What they build – and where – will quietly shape the values embedded in tomorrow’s systems.
So maybe the real tension isn’t red vs blue or East vs West. It’s generational, even personal. Where will the next generation of Chinese-origin innovators choose to build? Will they choose a system where speed and resources are abundant but guard rails are higher, or a more chaotic, open-ended environment where failure is allowed, even expected?
If the US can remain a magnet for talent – and avoid turning inward – it may have the upper hand. If China can evolve from merely producing talent to empowering it, it may unlock a deeper advantage. But the big picture isn’t about which flag flies higher. It’s about which version of Chinese identity – embedded in different systems, values and visions of progress – ends up defining the next era of AI.


China’s GoPro rival Insta360 opens first US flagship store in New York’s Times Square

China makes progress in 3-nm chips without advanced lithography tools

Global monetary tightening tests China’s 2-speed economy

China hawks join forces in US Congress  to pressure Trump ahead of Xi’s visit

China technology

The AI rivalry to watch is between China and Chinese in the US

Illustration: Craig Stephens

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan at a Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony in New York in 2019. Born in China’s Shandong province, he trained in mathematics and computer science before moving to the US. Photo: Reuters

AI expert Tingwen Huang taught and conducted research at the Doha campus of Texas A&M University in Qatar and has published nearly 700 papers, with about half appearing in top-tier engineering and AI journals. Photo: Handout

China is ready to start producing its own top mathematicians: Shing-Tung Yau

Illustration: Henry Wong

Mathematician Shing-Tung Yau discusses the beauty of mathematics at Lingnan University in Hong Kong in December 2024. Photo: Edmond So

How Trump’s assault on US universities is reshaping rivalry with China

US President Donald Trump speaks as US vice-president J.D. Vance (left) and US House Speaker Mike Johnson listen to his address to lawmakers in Washington, on March 4. Photo: AP

People hold up signs in support of Mahmoud Khalil at the University of California, Berkeley, on March 19. Photo: AP

Students queue up to enter the Columbia School of Professional Studies graduation on May 10, 2024, in New York City. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

The rise of China and the retreat of the US: a new global empire takes shape

A flag-raising ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is held at the Tian’anmen Square in Beijing, China, on October 1, 2024.  Photo: EPA-EFE

Is Trump’s “Maga” a restoration of power, or a retreat, as Xi’s China emerges as a major global player? Photo: TNS

In mid-2023, the renminbi surpassed the US dollar in China’s cross-border transactions for the first time. Photo: Getty Images

Soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army of China, the world’s largest standing army, conduct military training in Xinjiang. Photo: AFP

An employee produces semiconductor chips at a factory in China’s Shandong province. China produces one-third of the world’s manufactured goods – more than the combined total of the US, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Britain. Photo: AFP

Opinion

China Opinion

World Opinion

News

China

Science

China Future Tech

Science & Technology

Will the next generation choose China’s speed and resources with higher guard rails, or the chaotic, open-ended US where failure is allowed?


Artificial intelligence (AI)

Technology

US-China tech war

United States

Regulation

Start-ups

Tencent Holdings

Canada

DeepSeek

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


The AI rivalry to watch is between China and Chinese in the US

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Will the next generation choose China’s speed and resources with higher guard rails, or the chaotic, open-ended US where failure is allowed?

Will the next generation choose China’s speed and resources with higher guard rails, or the chaotic, open-ended US where failure is allowed?