Beijing and Washington are locked in an era-defining contest – and China’s rapid technological progress raises questions about limits of containment
8-MIN READ8-MINAnn Caoin ShanghaiandJi Siqiin BeijingPublished: 6:00am, 12 May 2026Updated: 6:08am, 12 May 2026US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the US-Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In this story, part of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we examine how artificial intelligence (AI), chip controls and competing technology ecosystems are redefining US-China rivalry.
Barely managing a few bites of his dinner, he breezed through a marathon of media interviews and accepted a stream of selfie requests from guests. The rock star treatment even spilled into the hotel lobby when he left, where Huang patiently signed autographs for star-struck fans.
The developments underscore the rapid rise of China’s AI industry and its decreasing reliance on Nvidia’s technology, even as chips remain at the heart of the US-China rivalry.
