China's Not the Problem. We Are.

China's Not the Problem. We Are.

From Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

May 14, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the differing A.I. goals of the U.S. and China amidst a Cold War-like atmosphere.

The United States and China are really the only two countries that matter right now in shaping the A.I. future. As President Trump and President Xi Jinping meet in Beijing, there’s a kind of Cold War atmosphere, with people talking about an A.I. arms race. But who is winning? Are we even in a race at all? Kyle Chan, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, says it’s hard to call it a race because the U.S. and China have very different A.I. goals.

People in this episode

Host: Ross Douthat

Guest: Kyle Chan

Topics covered

  • A.I.
  • U.S.-China relations
  • foreign policy
  • technology
  • Cold War

Keywords

  • A.I.
  • China
  • United States
  • foreign policy
  • arms race
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brookings Institution

Places: United States, China

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