China's Xi calls for step up of global effort in AI, as US curbs squeeze China's tech access

American-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing some of the world's most advanced technologies, spurring China's efforts to build its own know-how and intensifying the tech race between the world's two biggest economies.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1581x1054+0+0/resize/1581x1054!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffb%2Fe1%2F23c785da4f518241791d277ebfa4%2Fap26198084161653.jpg' alt='Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Friday, July 17, 2026.'/><p>American-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing some of the world's most advanced technologies, spurring China's efforts to build its own know-how and intensifying the tech race between the world's two biggest economies.</p><p>(Image credit: Ng Han Guan)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5897285' />