Catalyst DeepSeek: How China is building global tech competitors

Editor's Note: The AI Action Summit 2025 is being held in Paris from February 10 to 11. Last month, Chinese AI company DeepSeek sent shockwaves through the global market, firmly positioning China's voice and solutions as the focal point of the summit's discussions. We continue to feature a series of commentary articles by CGTN technology reporter and commentator Yang Zhao on China's AI company DeepSeek. The final piece of the series broadens our perspective and shifts focus to China's technological reform system and the future of AI. 

DeepSeek's rise has not only reshaped perceptions of China's AI capabilities but also sent a wake-up call to tech giants. Traditionally, China has played catch-up in AI applications, but DeepSeek's success proves that China can now compete at the foundational technology level.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how a policy slowly influences the development of a specific technological breakthrough. The chain of causality is complex, but one thing is certain: policies play a pivotal role in creating an environment that nurtures innovation. While greatness cannot be directly planned, a well-designed institutional framework and the freedom to experiment can pave the way for it.

In late 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that the country's economy was transitioning from a phase of rapid growth to one of high-quality development. Over the past few years, we have consistently seen both central and local governments making technological innovation a top priority. For example, the restructuring of China's Ministry of Science and Technology is an effort to make the country's sci-tech administration more efficient in supporting basic research and leveraging innovation to drive economic growth. Additionally, China has established a Central Science and Technology Commission to strengthen the Party Central Committee's centralized and unified leadership over science and technology-related work. This shift signifies that scientific and technological breakthroughs are now a national priority rather than just a ministry-level concern.

At the same time, China is placing greater emphasis on integrating fundamental innovation with the market. The rise of DeepSeek, for instance, is no coincidence. Hangzhou, the city where DeepSeek was born, has become a birthplace for other exceptional companies, like Unitree (robotics) and Game Science (Yes, the one behind "Black Myth: Wukong"), all of which owe their success to policies that foster innovation and market-driven growth. DeepSeek's emergence is not an isolated case, but rather part of a broader trend in the city and beyond. More and more cities across China are following this path, creating an increasingly dynamic and innovation-friendly environment.

DeepSeek's success doesn't mean China has surpassed the U.S. in AI, but it sends a clear signal: China can achieve breakthroughs in core technologies. More importantly, it is pushing AI toward a more open and equitable future.

U.S. restrictions on semiconductors, TikTok, and trade have not stalled China's tech rise. If anything, DeepSeek proves that external pressure fuels innovation. Ironically, NVIDIA's market value decline is partially a consequence of America's own chip export policies.

From a global perspective, DeepSeek's open-source approach is a game-changer. It democratizes AI access, accelerating innovation by breaking the monopoly of a few tech giants.

In the coming years, AI competition won't just be about technological advancements – it will be a battle of ideologies. DeepSeek has made its stance clear: Openness is the future of AI. Those who embrace it will lead the next era.

And that may be DeepSeek's greatest lesson to the world.

Read more: 

Catalyst DeepSeek: The Chinese AI startup disrupting the industry

Catalyst DeepSeek: The innovation behind its cost efficiency

About the author:

Yang Zhao is in charge of CGTN's science, technology, and environmental coverage. He also founded CGTN's Tech It Out studio, which produces award-winning scientific documentaries, including Human Carbon Footprint, Architectural Intelligence, and Land of Diversity.