"The China Debate We're Not Having" | Part 3: Tech, Rivalry, and Competing Visions of the Future

This episode of the Sinica Podcast explores the often-overlooked dimensions of U.S.-China technological rivalry, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence. The panel, moderated by Kat Duffy and featuring experts Sam Sachs, Jeff Ding, Mika Ouyang, and Selena, challenges the dominant 'rivalry' narrative that frames U.S.-China competition as zero-sum and militarized. Instead, they argue for a more nuanced understanding centered on the 'diffusion marathon'—the race to integrate AI across entire economies, not just frontier firms. The discussion highlights how both nations are pursuing different but complementary strategies: the U.S. focusing on enterprise adoption and open-source innovation, while China leverages its manufacturing strength and industrial integration. The panel warns that over-securitization and the framing of competition as inevitable conflict are undermining opportunities for collaboration in critical areas like climate modeling, pandemic response, and cybersecurity. They emphasize that despite deep mistrust, there are tangible, low-hanging-fruit areas for cooperation—such as interoperable AI standards and vulnerability disclosure—where shared interests exist. The episode concludes with a call for the U.S. to reassert its competitive edge not through isolation, but by doubling down on its traditional strengths: openness, talent attraction, public trust, and a positive narrative around AI’s potential to improve lives.