Xi Jinping has made China’s hard-tech rise core to his policy—and U.S. containment is only fueling those plans

(Credit: Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images)

When Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Thursday, artificial intelligence will top the agenda. Both sides have even agreed to an “AI hotline” to warn each other of runaway systems—at least according to the U.S.

Whereas once the U.S. looked upon China as a “fast follower” in technology, it now confronts a country that’s also on the frontier—ironically, in part due to U.S. action.