--- title: "China Rejects US Allegations of AI Model Theft and Signals Readiness for Talks Ahead of Xi Jinping's White House Visit" description: "China's Ministry of Commerce refuted US intelligence agencies' allegations of AI model theft and declared its readiness for negotiations with the United States. In Beijing, officials warned of \"resolute countermeasures\" in the event of suppression of Chinese AI companies. The statement came against the backdrop of preparations for Xi Jinping's visit to the White House." date: 2026-09-10T03:10:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/china-rejects-us-allegations-of-ai-model-theft tags: [china-us-ai, artificial-intelligence, trade-tensions, deepseek, alibaba, white-house, tech-competition] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # China Rejects US Allegations of AI Model Theft and Signals Readiness for Talks Ahead of Xi Jinping's White House Visit ![Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shaking hands in front of US and Chinese flags ahead of AI talks](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/10/kitay-otvergl-obvineniya-ssha-v-krazhe-ii-modelei/kitay-otvergl-obvineniya-ssha-v-krazhe-ii-modelei-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - China's Ministry of Commerce refuted US allegations of AI model theft "on an industrial scale" and called them baseless - US intelligence agencies (NSA, FBI, CISA) named six Chinese companies in a joint statement: DeepSeek, Moonshot, Alibaba, MiniMax, StepFun, and Z.AI Co. - China characterized distillation as a "common practice" and warned of "resolute countermeasures" if its AI sector is suppressed - The escalation occurred just weeks before the expected visit of Xi Jinping to the White House for a meeting with Donald Trump The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China officially refuted on Wednesday claims by US intelligence agencies that leading Chinese artificial intelligence firms were extracting confidential information from American laboratories "on an industrial scale." In Beijing, the accusations were called baseless, and officials emphasized that China is ready for "constructive and professional discussions with the United States within the framework of a dialogue based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, cooperation and mutually beneficial outcomes." At the same time, a ministry spokesperson added that should Washington adopt measures to contain or suppress Chinese AI companies, "China will resolutely take countermeasures." ### Joint Statement by US Intelligence Agencies: List of Accused Companies On Tuesday, the US National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a joint statement detailing which specific American systems were, according to them, copied by Chinese companies and for what reasons. The document specifically names six entities: DeepSeek, Moonshot, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., MiniMax, StepFun, and Z.AI Co. Previously, American AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic PBC, as well as representatives of the Donald Trump administration, had repeatedly accused Chinese corporations of stealing models using a technique known as distillation. ### Beijing Characterizes Distillation as a "Common Practice" In response to the accusations, China's Ministry of Commerce characterized the distillation process as a "common practice" used by AI developers around the world to learn from one another. Moreover, the Beijing ministry suggested that it may in fact be American AI companies that use Chinese models as a foundation for their own developments. Thus, China not only rejects the accusations but also redirects them toward Washington, pointing to the symmetry of technological processes. ### Contradictory Data There is a fundamental discrepancy between the two sides in how they characterize the same process. US intelligence agencies describe the actions of Chinese companies as the theft of confidential information "on an industrial scale," i.e., as a deliberate and large-scale violation. The Chinese ministry, by contrast, calls distillation a "common practice" used by AI developers worldwide, thereby stripping the process of its criminal connotation. In addition, Beijing suggests that American companies also use Chinese models as a basis for their own developments, which contradicts the one-sided logic of Washington's accusations. These differences in interpretation make unambiguous verification of the facts impossible without an independent technical audit, which has not been conducted to date. ### Context: Xi Jinping's Visit and the Intensification of Technological Competition According to Bloomberg, the conflict over the theft of AI models heightened tensions between the two capitals just weeks before the head of the PRC, Xi Jinping, is due to arrive at the White House for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. Artificial intelligence has become a key area of technological competition between the two countries, as top Chinese models are actively narrowing the performance gap with leading American developments. Against this backdrop, on July 28 the media reported that the Trump administration plans to announce a ban on the import of new Chinese robots and inverters, which, according to Washington, is meant to protect the development of American AI from national security threats. A few days earlier, billionaire Elon Musk publicly called for not banning the use of Chinese AI models in the US, stating that such measures would not stop the technological progress of the East. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [China Ready to Discuss Artificial Intelligence Issues with the US](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kitay-gotoviy-obgovoriti-zi-ssha-pitannya-1789009153.html) - ЕдинствСнный прСдоставлСнный источник. БсылаСтся Π½Π° Bloomberg, заявлСния ΠœΠΈΠ½ΠΊΠΎΠΌΠΌΠ΅Ρ€Ρ†ΠΈΠΈ КНР ΠΈ совмСстноС заявлСниС NSA/FBI/CISA. Π€Π°ΠΊΡ‚Ρ‹ Π°Ρ‚Ρ€ΠΈΠ±ΡƒΡ‚ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π°Π½Ρ‹, Π½ΠΎ нСзависимая пСрСкрёстная вСрификация ΠΏΠΎ Π²Ρ‚ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠΌΡƒ источнику Π½Π΅ ΠΏΡ€ΠΎΠ²ΠΎΠ΄ΠΈΠ»Π°ΡΡŒ. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Which specific Chinese companies did US intelligence agencies accuse of stealing AI models? **A:** In a joint statement published on Tuesday, the NSA, FBI, and CISA specifically named DeepSeek, Moonshot, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., MiniMax, StepFun, and Z.AI Co. ### Q: How did China react to the technology theft allegations? **A:** China's Ministry of Commerce called the accusations baseless, characterized distillation as a "common practice," and stated that it is ready for constructive dialogue but will take "resolute countermeasures" if the US suppresses Chinese AI companies. ### Q: Is the escalation linked to the upcoming visit of Xi Jinping to the US? **A:** Yes, according to Bloomberg, the AI conflict heightened tensions just weeks before the expected arrival of Xi Jinping at the White House for a meeting with Donald Trump. ### Q: What is distillation in the context of AI? **A:** Distillation is a method in which one AI model is trained on the outputs of another. American companies and intelligence agencies believe that Chinese corporations use this method to copy their models. China calls it a routine practice employed by developers around the world.