DeepSeek fires back at U.S.federal agency ban as ‘overstretching of the concept of national security’

The Chinese government responded strongly to a recent U.S. ban on its AI startup DeepSeek's products, arguing that it was an "overstretching of the concept of national security." The Department of Homeland Security issued a notice in July prohibiting federal civilian agencies from using DeepSeek's products and services, citing concerns about the servers being located in China and the possibility of Chinese authorities gaining access to sensitive U.S. data.

Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, stated that China would protect the rights and interests of its companies in the face of such "overstretching." The U.S.-China AI rivalry has recently seen some progress in collaboration on AI governance, but deep divisions remain. Both countries have imposed restrictions on each other's AI sector, including bans on accessing advanced AI chips and foreign-made humanoid robots.

China has also accused U.S. AI companies of engaging in "distillation" of their models from American AI. The two nations are set to meet in November during the APEC summit to discuss AI, among other issues.