DeepSeek, Temu, TikTok- China tech is starting to pull ahead

America must discard the belief that it is beating China in the innovation race. China’s top leaders did not appear to fully grasp the power of artificial intelligence in July 2023, when one of us, Eric, and Henry Kissinger met them. Economic malaise hung in the air. But when the other of us, Selina, returned to China just 19 months later, the optimism was palpable.

Dinner conversations were dominated by DeepSeek and other AI chatbots. Electric cars whizzed by, while apps offered drone food delivery. Unitree humanoid robots danced and spun…