Artificial intelligence is not synonymous with American intelligence, and the Chinese model is better for the world, says Victor Gao.

247 - In a debate held during the Doha Forum in Qatar, Professor of International Relations Victor Gao stated that Artificial Intelligence cannot be treated as "American intelligence" and that the model advocated by China—based on openness, sharing, and global participation—would be more beneficial for the world. The interview was conducted by journalist Steve Clemons on the program T, published on YouTube, and addressed topics ranging from technological disputes to trade wars and the risks of military escalation between the two largest powers on the planet.

Right from the start, Gao emphasized that he respects Donald Trump as head of state and commander of the United States Armed Forces, but condemned the trade offensive launched by the White House after his inauguration on January 20, 2025. "The tariff war he launched against China and the rest of the world will likely prove to be the wrong war," he stated. According to him, the tariff confrontation would have "no constructive purpose" and should be ended quickly so that Washington can refocus on domestic issues, such as the recovery of its industry.

Gao went so far as to say that he would fully support a US reindustrialization policy, provided it was based on real productive objectives and not on attempts to strangle trading partners. "Bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States is something I would fully support, wholeheartedly," he declared, arguing that China could even "be of great use" in this process, should the US decide to rebuild its productive base with economic rationality.

Trade war, booming trade, and China seeking other markets.

Despite the tariffs and the climate of growing tension, Gao insisted that bilateral trade continues to grow, while the relative importance of the US in Chinese exports decreases. According to him, the share of exports destined for the US market has fallen to about 13%, after having peaked at around 25%. For Gao, this shows that China is already expanding alternatives and diversifying its global markets. "China is exploring other markets to replace any loss of exports to the United States," he said.

He also criticized the use of "tariffs as a weapon" and stated that this practice undermines the very principle of free trade. According to the professor, the current contradiction is that China has begun to present itself as a defender of free trade while the United States is moving towards dismantling it. "China is now the standard-bearer for the defense of free trade," he stated, expressing hope that Washington will "overcome its problems" and return to defending this system in cooperation with Beijing.

"China has bet on electric cars to tackle the climate crisis."

In refuting accusations that the country had achieved industrial dominance through predatory strategies, Gao argued that China's advancement in the electric vehicle sector was the result of a long-term bet, motivated by environmental and energy concerns. He explained that, around 2012, Beijing decided to concentrate resources in this sector when there were still technological and supply chain uncertainties.

According to Gao, the central objective was to reduce CO₂ emissions and cut dependence on imported oil. “China wanted to do the right thing to mitigate the impact of climate change,” he stated, highlighting that the decision required strategic vision and courage. The professor also mentioned that other countries have made similar bets—such as Japan with hydrogen cars—but not all have been successful. “You can’t blame China for being visionary,” he said.

Gao highlighted that the production of electric vehicles has already surpassed that of automobiles powered by fossil fuels, and that the Chinese goal is to increase the share of electric vehicles to nearly 100% of national vehicle production.

"AI is not American Intelligence"

It was on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, however, that Gao made his most forceful statements. For him, the global dispute surrounding AI is being driven by a flawed premise: the idea that the United States should transform this technology into an instrument of supremacy. "AI is not American Intelligence," he said, emphasizing that the American attempt to treat innovation as a monopoly would be dangerous.

According to Gao, any country that achieves absolute dominance in this sector could try to impose rules and decisions on others, threatening national sovereignty and reorganizing the international order in an authoritarian way. "If any country builds dominance in AI, it will be a recipe for great disaster for humanity," he warned.

He argued that AI should be "open source," not "closed source," to allow all countries to participate in its development and reduce barriers to access. "No dominance in AI should be allowed," he stated. Gao also predicted that, within a three- to five-year horizon, the global trend will be the advancement of open systems, and urged Americans to abandon the logic of control.

China and the US are at the top, but without a decisive advantage.

Gao acknowledged that China and the United States are in the “elite group” of Artificial Intelligence, but rejected the idea that one is far ahead of the other. He quoted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (mentioned in the interview as Jensen Wong) as saying that if China is behind, it would be “by an iota, a nanosecond.”

He also highlighted the importance of the Chinese diaspora in training specialists: "More than 50% of the leading AI professionals are Chinese," he stated, citing talent from different regions such as mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the United States. According to Gao, China possesses a broad base of human capital, producing approximately 3 million engineers per year, making any attempt to stifle its advancement futile.

"If any country wants to push China down in the AI ​​revolution, it will probably fail. Working with China is the best way forward," he concluded.

US in recession and criticism of "excessive reach"

Commenting on the Trump administration's national security strategy document, Gao stated that he was not surprised by the more restrained tone. According to him, the American state itself was beginning to internalize a historical reality: the impossibility of sustaining an imperial posture indefinitely.

He cited Yale University historian Paul Kennedy and his concept of overreach, arguing that the U.S. “has been overreaching for decades” and has reached a point where it needs to back off. “Trying to police the entire world, launching one war after another to achieve strategic objectives, is not sustainable,” he stated.

According to Gao, a more pragmatic strategy, focused on defending free trade and peace, would better serve the interests of the American people than constantly prioritizing conflict and containment.

"Peace is inevitable" between China and the US.

In one of the most central moments of the interview, Gao presented his thesis of the "inevitability of peace" between China and the United States. For him, the idea that the two powers are destined for war—as in the "Thucydides Trap" theory popularized by Graham Allison of Harvard—ignores an essential element: the existence of nuclear weapons.

Gao argued that the historical cases analyzed by Allison were conventional wars, and that applying the same logic to two nuclear powers would be irrational. "You can't use war to achieve your goals," he said. According to him, a conventional conflict could quickly spiral out of control and escalate into an unconventional war, with apocalyptic consequences. "That would likely be the ruin of humanity," he warned.

Taiwan, postwar order and rejection of the invasion hypothesis.

When questioned about Taiwan, Gao dismissed the possibility of invasion and reaffirmed the Chinese position that the issue is anchored in the post-war international order. Citing the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, he stated that these documents stipulated that Japan, which had occupied Taiwan since 1895, should return the island to China after its surrender in 1945.

"Since then, there has only been one China, and Taiwan is part of China," he said. He believes separatist movements in Taiwan "will never succeed."

Japan, militarization, and historical appeals.

In mentioning recent tensions involving Japan and alleged threats of war made by a Japanese prime minister, Gao adopted a harsh tone laden with historical references. He stated that it would be the first time since 1945 that a Japanese leader had threatened war against another country, and accused sectors of Japan of wanting to "turn the tables" on the verdict of unconditional surrender.

Gao told Americans, "Remember Pearl Harbor," and cited atrocities attributed to Japanese imperialism, including deaths in China. He then argued that China and the U.S. should unite to prevent any Japanese remilitarization, including in areas such as nuclear weapons and the militarization of space.

The biggest risk: AI dominating humanity.

At the end of the interview, Gao stated that humanity should worry less about the China-US competition and more about an even greater risk: the possibility of Artificial Intelligence "declaring independence" from the human species.

“We need to worry about whether AI will eventually declare independence from Homo sapiens and rule above Homo sapiens,” he said. He warned that the world's population could become “second-class citizens” in the face of a dominant AI, should the powers continue developing systems with destructive aims. For Gao, if China and the US compete to destroy each other through AI, the “ultimate winner” will not be either country, but AI itself.

A worldview in dispute.

The interview, conducted by Steve Clemons, exposed not only the Chinese vision on trade, technology, and geopolitics, but also a critical reading of the global role of the United States under Donald Trump. By advocating openness and cooperation as a principle for the future of Artificial Intelligence, Victor Gao sought to present China as an alternative to unilateralism and the logic of domination.

At a time when Sino-American rivalry is redefining production chains, military alliances, and technological rules, Gao argues that humanity will have to choose between escalation and cooperation—and that, given the risks of war and AI itself, peace is not only desirable: it is inevitable.