Lawmakers seek report on China’s AI progress, benchmarking capabilities and comparing US systems as rivalry over frontier tech deepens
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenYuanyue Dangin WashingtonPublished: 5:59am, 29 Apr 2026As the race with China over artificial intelligence intensifies, US lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a draft bill that would, for the first time, require the State Department to deliver a detailed assessment of Beijing’s artificial intelligence ambitions, including identifying “specific AI leaders”.
The State Department should provide Congress with a comprehensive report on China’s AI development, including its “progress using independent, publicly available benchmarks to achieve autonomous research capability and to self-improve performance without human intervention”, along with a comparison to US AI systems during the same period, the House Committee on Appropriations said.
The report would be due within 180 days after enactment of the financial year 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, according to the draft released on Tuesday.
It marks the first time the committee has included China-related AI provisions in its foreign affairs appropriations track.
The State Department’s report should also identify China’s “specific AI leaders” and compare US and Chinese approaches to “AI safety, ethical considerations, and security risks,” the bill under consideration says.
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