Washington D.C. — A former senior U.S. official has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s restrictive policies on Chinese technology, urging the current U.S. government to abandon protectionism and collaborate with China in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
Susan Thornton, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, voiced her concerns following the U.S. Commerce Department’s recent announcement of tighter global chip export controls. While the Trump administration framed the move as an effort to “ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of AI innovation,” Thornton believes such restrictions may be counterproductive.
Speaking at a forum, Thornton argued that these tech restrictions are not halting China’s technological advancement but are instead fueling China’s innovation system to accelerate research and development across multiple sectors. She cited companies like DeepSeek as evidence of this momentum.
“Attempts to suppress China’s technological progress are not only ineffective but also damaging,” Thornton stated. She pointed out that China is rapidly closing the gap in AI development and that shifting export controls create uncertainty and disrupt global supply chains.
Thornton emphasized that treating China as America’s greatest threat and trying to block its development in AI technologies is a misallocation of strategic focus. She warned that sidelining China, a key player in the tech economy, could hurt U.S. businesses and damage international alliances.
“The U.S. cannot dominate the AI sector alone,” she remarked. “We need to work with China to ensure AI serves the global good.”
