From airplanes to artificial intelligence: China leads the US in every aspect — and nothing, not even a trade war, can stop them.

Why is China leading the world?

Author: Dmitri Kapustian

Image: The J-36, sixth-generation fighter jet.

China and the United States seem to have entered an unprecedented global economic war. These two superpowers are not only competing in the field of world trade but also in the latest technologies. "The St. Petersburg Gazette" has collected some of the most typical examples of this competition.

Sixth-generation fighter jets

US President Donald Trump recently announced the decision to initiate the development of the new generation fighter jet F-47. And as usual, Trump immediately claimed that it would be "the first sixth-generation fighter jet in the world." But in fact, the Chinese had already started developing such aircraft.

As early as 2020, the US conducted tests on a full-scale prototype of its sixth-generation fighter jet developed under the "Next Generation Air Dominance" (NGAD) project. Trump emphasized that the experimental version of this aircraft had been flying for about five years.

However, at that time, China had already conducted multiple test flights of its sixth-generation fighter jet prototypes. In December 2024, China tested two sixth-generation fighter jet prototypes — the Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-50.

One was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd. (CAC), and the other was developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd. (SAC).

Some military commentators joked that Trump's decision to sign the contract for the next-generation fighter jet was because the J-36 and J-50 of China were already in the sky.

After Trump claimed that the US would become the first country to put the sixth-generation fighter jet into production, the number of test flights of China's sixth-generation fighters increased sharply.

Moreover, the Chinese began actively publicizing these test flight situations in the media (although China usually strictly keeps the research and testing of new weapons confidential). The professional publication "The Eurasia Times" emphasized this point.

Western intelligence personnel are eager for photos of China's fighter jets. For example, the J-50 has a striking design: extremely smooth surface with sharp edges, reducing the possibility of being detected by radar. This aircraft is likely designed for network-centric operations even in well-defended airspace.

However, intelligence personnel don't need to work too hard: videos of the J-36 test flights have already gone viral online. Of course, China wants the whole world to see its progress in the development of sixth-generation fighter jets and embarrass those arrogant Americans. After all, China has already applied sixth-generation technology, while the US F-47 is still in the research and development stage.

Artificial intelligence

The phenomenon of China's artificial intelligence DeepSeek is so eye-catching that it was even discussed at the "Two Sessions" held in Beijing in March this year — China's highest legislative body's annual meeting.

As early as 2022, America's ChatGPT caused a sensation. In a figurative sense, it became the "thorn" in the eyes of Chinese officials determined to win the technological race with the US. And now, with the emergence of DeepSeek, the race has finally been won.

At the "Two Sessions," high-ranking Chinese officials talked about applying artificial intelligence (AI) to various fields of China's economy, from industry to healthcare. Now, in China's political discourse, it is called "AI+", wrote Michael Rahal, a commentator for the "International Political Quarterly."

Xinhua News Agency, which reported on the "Two Sessions," said that "AI+" is the key to China's technological leap and taking the lead in the "new round of scientific and technological revolution." New artificial intelligences like DeepSeek will help the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in China and even stimulate consumption.

China paints a picture of streets and commercial centers equipped with user terminals featuring neural networks, factories with robots and "intelligent" machine tools (even without programming). Additionally, there are, of course, unmanned vehicles using "green" energy controlled by neural networks. Everyone carries a mobile phone supporting "AI+." In short, the main concept of China's leadership is: creating a society driven by neural network technology. And this is not just an official utopia. All of China's telecommunications giants (such as China Mobile) are already actively applying artificial intelligence. Various industries in China are also accepting the overall plan of "AI+". So the blueprint is becoming a reality. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494480693985067539/ Disclaimer: The article represents the author's views. Feel free to express your attitude by clicking the "like/dislike" buttons below.