America’s quest for AI dominance is scary. China is not the solution
CHINA’S LEADER, Xi Jinping, is too stern to sing or dance in public—no Donald Trump-style piston-arm disco moves for him. This is a shame, for it would save time if he binned his planned remarks when the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) opens in Shanghai on July 17th, and sang instead. Specifically, he could unleash his rich baritone on the hippy anthem, “I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmoneee.”
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “When China’s open-source AI is a trap”

From the July 18th 2026 edition
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