ChinAI Newsletter

Hosted by Jeffrey Ding

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130

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Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Narrations of the ChinAI Newsletter by Jeffrey Ding. China is becoming an indispensable part of the global AI landscape. Alongside the rise of China’s AI capabilities, a surge of Chinese writing and scholarship on AI-related topics is shedding light on a range of fascinating topics, including: China’s grand strategy for advanced technology like AI, the characteristics of key Chinese AI actors (e.g. companies and individual thinkers), and the ethical implications of AI development. While traditional media and China specialists can provide important insights on these questions through on-the-ground reporting and extensive background knowledge, ChinAI takes a different approach: it bets on the proposition that for many of these issues, the people with the most knowledge and insight are Chinese people themselves who are sharing their insights in Chinese. Through translating articles and documents from government departments, think tanks, traditional media, and newer forms of “self-media,” etc., ChinAI provides a unique look into the intersection between a country that is changing the world and a technology that is doing the same.

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June 15, 20266 min

“ChinAI #363: A College Admissions Advisor for 13 Million” by Jeffrey Ding

Plus, details on the college preference list, or what happens after the Gaokao? .Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BJAVFxdJHKYgjjHsgcmQ-mdVHEgbQG8eoQOAdHhDs7Q/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">An AI that serves as a reliable “college preference form partner” is the one truly “worthy of trust”</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ruixuejia.com/uploads/4/6/3/3/46339953/eliteuniversity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Jia and Li (2021</a></li><li><a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/10/military-ai-middle-power-anthropic-pentagon-pax-silica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Exporting U.S. Military AI Won’t Be Easy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thewirechina.com/2026/05/17/tp-links-american-dream/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">TP-Link’s American Dream</a></li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42260689-life" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Life</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> --- First published: June 15th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-363-chinas-first-college-admissions?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-363-chinas-first-college-admissions</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_-vy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18920e00-ec92-41a9-99d9-e57533313d77_1080x1498.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_-vy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18920e00-ec92-41a9-99d9-e57533313d77_1080x1498.png" alt="College entrance exam volunteer report showing score 560, ranked 21423, with university recommendations and major analysis." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DRxq!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5790a187-5442-4c29-b851-bd9db4efab0d_1080x662.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DRxq!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5790a187-5442-4c29-b851-bd9db4efab0d_1080x662.png" alt="Animation software interface showing pixel art characters and timeline." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

June 8, 202610 min

“ChinAI #362: Chinese Encounters with “Artificial Challenged Intelligence” [人工智障]” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hPxiBFuVXeBrhP43HJ5v5svHVt8qSx7-ZTAvxRFc5kc/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">My “Artificial Challenged Intelligence” Moment</a></li><li><a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-112-part-ii-the-human-cost" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Chinese delivery drivers</a></li><li><a href="https://mattsheehan.substack.com/p/china-is-getting-worried-about-ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">China is getting worried about AI & jobs</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/119d8c3a-e10f-4bf7-a198-90507293054b?syn-25a6b1a6=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">How China is breaking apart a people and its culture</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Ehk4qOBCY23Fh5q_nhkkkw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">How did Hangzhou become more hardware-oriented</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UZHipkFqJSnqJquEewNGXA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Today’s college students are living their university years like their final year of high school</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> --- First published: June 8th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-362-chinese-encounters-with?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-362-chinese-encounters-with</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yyFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7f3719eb-1857-42ba-97d7-3786ac481ced_1080x571.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yyFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7f3719eb-1857-42ba-97d7-3786ac481ced_1080x571.png" alt="A user asks Yuanbao to share information about a famous Chinese crosstalk comedy group. Source: Renwu." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_G-k!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7c30019-145b-48bf-a34e-b02fc690c30b_803x396.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_G-k!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7c30019-145b-48bf-a34e-b02fc690c30b_803x396.png" alt="Survey question with response options highlighted, "Don't Know (Neither)" selected." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

June 1, 20268 min

“ChinAI #361: What can CANN do for China’s independent compute capacity?” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A1ZjAA-LdyF52Yyq9qscQy_6gt6vVlmPhOACx0VywW4/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Behind DeepSeek V4’s “Chip-Model Synergy”, the domestic computing ecosystem begins flywheel acceleration</a></li><li><a href="https://www.chinatalk.media/p/can-huawei-compete-with-cuda" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinaTalk article</a></li><li><a href="https://www.hiascend.com/cann" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Ascend forums</a></li><li><a href="http://China Is Testing Its State Surveillance Model Abroad" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">China Is Testing Its State Surveillance Model Abroad</a></li><li><a href="https://x.com/KirstyLNeedham/status/2059580109225607434" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Kirsty Needham</a></li><li><a href="https://x.com/simonw/status/2060209010486493500" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Simon Willison thread on thinness of AI-failure stories</a></li><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/june-2026-wonky-china-jeffrey-ding-george-washington-university-tickets-1989907834901" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">June 2026 Wonky China</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> --- First published: June 1st, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-361-what-can-cann-do-for-chinas?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-361-what-can-cann-do-for-chinas</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FaLq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ed5a06b-1980-46e7-ad38-703f7af4893c_1080x720.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FaLq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ed5a06b-1980-46e7-ad38-703f7af4893c_1080x720.png" alt="Photo of Kunpeng Ascend Developer Conference 2026. Source: KADC and QBitAI." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

May 26, 202612 min

“ChinAI #360: Anthropic’s Dogma on US-China AI Competition” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://www.anthropic.com/research/2028-ai-leadership" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">2028: Two scenarios for global AI leadership</a></li><li><a href="https://darioamodei.com/post/on-deepseek-and-export-controls" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">2026-2027</a></li><li><a href="https://biblehub.com/acts/1-7.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Acts 1:7</a></li><li><a href="https://chinai.substack.com/publish/posts/detail/14579?referrer=%2Fpublish%2Fposts%2Fpublished%3Fsearch%3Dleon%2520sensetime" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinAI #29</a></li><li><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI-Action-Plan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">America’s AI Action Plan</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> The original text contained 5 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: May 26th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/anthropics-dogmatic-views-on-us-china?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/anthropics-dogmatic-views-on-us-china</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>.

May 18, 20267 min

“ChinAI #359: DeepSeek’s “Huawei-like” Mission in AI” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DA66GJT6qEWC0RAM2TQ5Scs5GfxVEa97ZxhkIcuSw0Q/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Understanding China through DeepSeek’s Triple-Jump Valuation</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-356-deepseek-as-road-builder&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1778967510105175&usg=AOvVaw2dqpy7RWjUiwxtstBCnPlY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinAI #356</a></li><li><a href="https://thediplomat.com/2026/05/the-us-is-running-dangerously-low-on-china-expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">The US Is Running Dangerously Low on China Expertise</a></li><li><a href="https://interpret.csis.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Interpret: China (A CSIS Open Source Project)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/world/asia/us-china-trump-xi-beijing-ai.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Why AI is the Hidden Minefield of Trump’s China Visit</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09692290.2026.2619518" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Reputation collectives: how international industry associations influence China’s safety standards in high-risk technologies</a></li><li><a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2026/05/07/ai-creates-a-fearsome-cold-war-style-dilemma" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">AI creates a fearsome cold-war-style dilemma</a></li><li><a href="https://jeffreyjding.github.io/documents/Keep%20Your%20Enemies%20Safer%20EJIR%20Accepted%20Version%20April%202024.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Keep your enemies safer: technical cooperation and transferring nuclear safety and security technologies</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration. --- First published: May 18th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-359-deepseeks-huawei-like?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-359-deepseeks-huawei-like</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1745270917331-787c80129680?fm=jpg&q=60&w=3000&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1745270917331-787c80129680?fm=jpg&q=60&w=3000&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D" alt="DeepSeek’s valuation has soared in the past month. Source: Unsplash." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

May 11, 20267 min

“ChinAI #358: Around the Horn (25th episode)” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-350-around-the-horn-24th-episode" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinAI #350</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/61IOuy8m5ef_JaLDq1RwHQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10,000-character deep dive | ModelBest: at the limits of efficiency, continuously traversing the AGI cycles</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/rnb36g-ydHQpuRCuuzLo4A" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Now it’s your turn to foot the bill for (ByteDance’s) Doubao</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UwWpXY4Cr3YrO8jSBAIUgw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Young AI professionals face “debt collection” from former employers</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7x1PMuqmqNmqekgZl5XZYQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Release of Results for the AI Safety Benchmark (Q1 2026)</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2pp13Vhg6amldsGe-_N7Tg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">AI PPT, this time, you really don’t need revisions</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LU9gUVIRb4AvFrdyy-vUvA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Chinese Universities Discontinue Over 5,000 Majors in Five Years</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/4BX75t0z-pJ_kQWrEPcLkw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Understanding China through DeepSeek’s Triple-Jump Valuation</a></li><li><a href="https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/2035877125136315813" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Leiphone Detectives Vol. 7 [AI情报局]</a></li><li><a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-354" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinAI #354</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ccMUnAbaPhjgByEpUmaBYQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">People’s Daily Commentary: What Signal Does the Halting of the Manus Acquisition Send?</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> --- First published: May 11th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-358-around-the-horn-25th-episode?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-358-around-the-horn-25th-episode</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vckw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F634c73fc-853b-4e16-a7a4-d8a58c45cc2f_358x197.jpeg" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vckw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F634c73fc-853b-4e16-a7a4-d8a58c45cc2f_358x197.jpeg" alt="ESPN's "Around the Horn" logo." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZQor!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6480a059-7887-4274-bbdb-efaf22b75cec_1080x608.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZQor!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6480a059-7887-4274-bbdb-efaf22b75cec_1080x608.png" alt="Graph showing "Marginal Psoriasis Severity" plotted against "Number of Patients Treated"" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

May 4, 20269 min

“ChinAI #357: AI Surveillance in Chinese Universities” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15_naIpy86-0qM27YgRxm9kfs9bSezDhJ9pZhgp79uvE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Under the Camera’s Gaze, I Changed from a University Lecturer into a “Performer”</a></li><li><a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/tech-high-ground-jake-sullivan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">The Tech High Ground</a></li><li><a href="https://hellochinatech.com/p/deepseek-tilelang-china-ai-stack-nvidia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">DeepSeek: Blueprint, Not Breach</a></li><li><a href="https://chinaaibulletin.substack.com/p/china-ai-bulletin-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">China AI Bulletin 3</a></li><li><a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2604.03121" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">An Independent Safety Evaluation of Kimi K2.5</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration. --- First published: May 4th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-357-ai-surveillance-in-chinese?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-357-ai-surveillance-in-chinese</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c_Vj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c3dbd1d-c7d1-43f8-9d47-3b9b8c7710a6_3000x1688.jpeg" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!c_Vj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4c3dbd1d-c7d1-43f8-9d47-3b9b8c7710a6_3000x1688.jpeg" alt="Getty Images on Unsplash" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

April 27, 20266 min

“ChinAI #356: DeepSeek as Road Builder [修路人]” by Jeffrey Ding

Breaking down DeepSeek's V4 release.Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jpwr9HV08CajlowPsUbDO_KqR66inbpZsnHnoBFw9F0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">DeepSeek Overly Understated</a></li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15QLac5afzHXRa10uePgZBEuENvxwbDJ-5yEYdg-E-8w/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Don’t Overestimate Nvidia; Don’t Underestimate DeepSeek</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/long-context&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1777251118930229&usg=AOvVaw3_suT8AY4dPEvWc14oUbTO" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">50,000 lines of code</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> --- First published: April 27th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-356-deepseek-as-road-builder?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-356-deepseek-as-road-builder</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L8sk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F320b9f3e-0c39-425c-821b-bfb317d4380a_784x1253.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!L8sk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F320b9f3e-0c39-425c-821b-bfb317d4380a_784x1253.png" alt="Table of companies, model release dates, and innovations related to “attention mechanisms” (how to make compute and memory usage more efficient as context windows increase)" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

April 20, 20266 min

“ChinAI #355: An Alliance for AI’s “Harness Era” -MiniMax + Alibaba Cloud” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gSaSiIkvccFVKO8ytl6UuK0lv9c2r-5i9Xpuz3L0wwA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">When AI Enters the Harness Era: MiniMax as a Case Study for the New Cloud Infrastructure of AI Agents</a></li><li><a href="https://dolos.substack.com/p/27-years-later-still-bombing-the" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">27 Years Later, Still Bombing the Wrong Targets</a></li><li><a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/KyDDKgZzOsVOV22wEo5EVA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Xiaoice’s [小冰] “Unicorn” Illusion (in Chinese)</a></li><li><a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-248-xiaoice-where-do-we-go?utm_source=publication-search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinAI #248</a></li><li><a href="https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/chinas-robot-champion-has-everything-lose-2026-03-26/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">China’s robot champion has everything to lose</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration. --- First published: April 20th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-355-an-alliance-for-ais-harness?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-355-an-alliance-for-ais-harness</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!y258!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa173565d-2d0d-4576-8e0e-fffa9e0d1208_1080x215.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!y258!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa173565d-2d0d-4576-8e0e-fffa9e0d1208_1080x215.png" alt="MaxOClaw logo" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>

April 6, 20267 min

“ChinAI #353: Year 8 of ChinAI” by Jeffrey Ding

Eight things I learned about China's AI ecosystem over the past year of newsletter notes.Featured links<ul><li><a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-343-ai-safetysecurity-governance?utm_source=publication-search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ChinAI #343</a></li></ul> Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/archive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">here</a> & please <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">subscribe here</a> to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at <a href="mailto:chinainewsletter@gmail.com">chinainewsletter@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jjding99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">@jjding99</a> --- First published: April 6th, 2026 Source: <a href="https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-353-year-8-of-chinai?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-353-year-8-of-chinai</a> --- Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>. ---<div style="max-width: 100%";>Images from the article:<a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1651289082485-6c06ea213736?fm=jpg&q=60&w=3000&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1651289082485-6c06ea213736?fm=jpg&q=60&w=3000&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D" alt="Photo by Hudson Graves on Unsplash" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!D73V!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F806c4553-c6b2-4604-9b5a-63fc0601579c_1536x1024.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!D73V!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F806c4553-c6b2-4604-9b5a-63fc0601579c_1536x1024.png" alt="Cartoon bench character lifting a barbell with weights." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ld2W!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F52e5be73-645b-4288-9507-09b1a30a46d4_800x711.jpeg" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ld2W!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F52e5be73-645b-4288-9507-09b1a30a46d4_800x711.jpeg" alt="DeepSeek统一模型发布会宣传图，展示黑色服务器机柜" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ht6j!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94bb32b4-c2da-4ec8-b3ed-89b21f182576_640x370.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ht6j!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94bb32b4-c2da-4ec8-b3ed-89b21f182576_640x370.png" alt="Stacked bar chart showing data across years 2021-2023 with multiple colored segments." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4iHN!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c43a193-1195-4d4a-a470-52edc52de20e_1746x1428.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4iHN!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8c43a193-1195-4d4a-a470-52edc52de20e_1746x1428.png" alt="News article screenshot. The headline reads: "FDPP officials deny using AI in audits, State accuses, then backs off after"" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yFny!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7259acc5-8ec6-44fb-b7df-bb0fe491de56_1080x1272.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yFny!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7259acc5-8ec6-44fb-b7df-bb0fe491de56_1080x1272.png" alt="List of Chinese text items with dates, appearing to be app notifications or menu items." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oVIN!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad093896-f577-45fb-85a9-3c04c42578a1_1520x740.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oVIN!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad093896-f577-45fb-85a9-3c04c42578a1_1520x740.png" alt="Flowchart diagram titled "Two Mechanisms for International Private Re-Distribution" showing cue goods and reputation-credence mechanisms." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Wr26!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc05636eb-2bea-48c6-a3f8-2c897bff74ff_1000x810.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Wr26!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc05636eb-2bea-48c6-a3f8-2c897bff74ff_1000x810.png" alt="Mobile app interface showing book covers, titles, and author information in Chinese." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OMBD!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4b2c13d5-49c1-42b1-bf11-9d0f2cf335ef_586x787.png" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OMBD!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4b2c13d5-49c1-42b1-bf11-9d0f2cf335ef_586x787.png" alt="Lloyd Leonard tweets: "BREAKING: National Security Advisor Mike Waltz announces President Donald Trump will meet with Vladimir Putin on the Trump admin today." The quoted tweet, by RFA ASIA, reads: "National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says President Donald Trump plans to meet with President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the Trump admin today."" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</div>