People’s Daily’s commentary, written under the pen name Zhong Sheng, struck at the United States’ stance on AI distillation, calling it a naked double standard that elevates a routine industry practice to a national‑security issue.
The article reminds readers that AI is a new domain for human development, not a monopoly of great powers, and urges the U.S. to collaborate with China to manage risks and foster a non‑discriminatory development environment.
It notes that China promotes open‑source models and gives U.S. companies access to these tools, a practice that the White House earlier this year accused of intellectual‑property theft on an industrial scale.
Distillation—training smaller models using the outputs of larger ones—has become a hotbed of contention, with Washington accusing Chinese firms of attacking the U.S. while quietly benefiting from the same technique.
The commentary says China is willing to engage in constructive discussions with the U.S., a gesture that comes just before the bilateral talks slated for next week to address AI policy and industry standards.
In the lead‑up to those talks, analysts say both sides will likely test the depth of their commitment to open collaboration, a move that could reshape the global AI landscape.