CHINA’S AI STRATEGY IN THE CONTEXT OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION: A NEW ERA OF GEOPOLITICAL RIVALRY

Yıl 2026, Sayı: 65 , 133 - 160 , 30.04.2026

Rahman Nurdun , Yahya Gülseven

https://izlik.org/JA45UY37NN

Öz

This study aims to explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) technology from China’s perspective, as it competes with the United States and the European Union in many areas in the global arena. As AI technology rapidly advances, it has become a critical factor in shaping not only the future of the global economy but also the broader geopolitical landscape. In particular, China’s national strategies on AI have positioned the technology as a key driver of national security, economic growth, and technological dominance. China’s approach to AI development and governance is one of the key areas in understanding its geopolitical aspirations and ambitions. The study will examine China’s AI strategies, investments, and policy frameworks. It will focus on how China strategically leverages AI to assert its geopolitical influence, develop military capabilities, and secure a leading position in the global economy. By analyzing China’s role in the AI competition, this research will focus on how its innovations in AI impact critical sectors, including defense, trade, education and infrastructure. Furthermore, this study explores the broader implications of AI competition, emphasizing the emerging risks and challenges associated with China’s AI-driven policies. These include ethical concerns, the potential for escalating geopolitical tensions, and the integration of AI technologies into military strategies, which could reshape global security dynamics. Ultimately, the research will offer an analysis of AI as both a tool for global dominance and a potential source of conflict, with a particular focus on China’s strategic use of AI in the 21st century.

Anahtar Kelimeler

AI Governance , AI Ethics , Belt and Road Initiative , China , Geopolitics

BÜYÜK GÜÇ REKABETİ BAĞLAMINDA ÇİN’İN YAPAY ZEKÂ STRATEJİSİ: JEOPOLİTİK REKABETTE YENİ BİR DÖNEM

https://izlik.org/JA45UY37NN

Öz

Bu çalışma, Çin’in küresel arenada Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Avrupa Birliği ile birçok alanda rekabet ederken, yapay zekâ (YZ) teknolojisinin değişen rolünü Çin’in perspektifinden incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Yapay zekâ teknolojisinin hızla ilerlemesi, yalnızca küresel ekonominin geleceğini değil, aynı zamanda daha geniş jeopolitik yapıyı da şekillendiren kritik bir unsur hâline gelmiştir. Özellikle Çin’in yapay zekâya yönelik ulusal stratejileri, bu teknolojiyi ulusal güvenliğin, ekonomik büyümenin ve teknolojik üstünlüğün temel bir itici gücü olarak konumlandırmaktadır. Çin’in yapay zekâ geliştirme ve yönetişim yaklaşımı, ülkenin jeopolitik hedef ve beklentilerini anlamada kilit alanlardan birini oluşturmaktadır.
Bu çalışma, Çin’in yapay zekâ stratejilerini, yatırımlarını ve politika çerçevelerini incelemektedir. Çin’in yapay zekâyı jeopolitik nüfuzunu artırmak, askerî kapasitesini geliştirmek ve küresel ekonomi içinde lider bir konum elde etmek amacıyla nasıl stratejik biçimde kullandığına odaklanmaktadır. Yapay zekâ rekabetinde Çin’in rolünü analiz eden bu araştırma, savunma, ticaret, eğitim ve altyapı dâhil olmak üzere kritik sektörlerde Çin’in yapay zekâ alanındaki yeniliklerinin nasıl etkiler yarattığını ele almaktadır. Ayrıca çalışma, Çin’in yapay zekâ temelli politikalarıyla bağlantılı olarak ortaya çıkan risk ve zorluklara dikkat çekerek, yapay zekâ rekabetinin daha geniş sonuçlarını tartışmaktadır. Bu kapsamda etik kaygılar, artan jeopolitik gerilim olasılığı ve yapay zekâ teknolojilerinin askerî stratejilere entegrasyonu gibi unsurlar ele alınmakta; söz konusu gelişmelerin küresel güvenlik dinamiklerini nasıl dönüştürebileceği değerlendirilmektedir. Sonuç olarak bu araştırma, yapay zekâyı hem küresel üstünlük mücadelesinde bir araç hem de potansiyel bir çatışma kaynağı olarak ele alan bir analiz sunmakta; özellikle 21. yüzyılda Çin’in yapay zekâyı stratejik biçimde kullanımına odaklanmaktadır.

Kaynakça

• Acharya, Amitav and Zachary Arnold. Chinese Public AI R&D Spending: Provisional Findings, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 2019, https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/chinese-public-ai-rd-spending-provisional-findings
• Allen, Gregory. Understanding China’s AI Strategy: Clues to Chinese Strategic Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and National Security, Center for a New American Security, 2019, https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/understanding-chinas-ai-strategy
• Allen, Gregory C. and Taniel Chan. Artificial Intelligence and National Security, Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 2017, https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/artificial-intelligence-and-national-security
• Balaban, David. “Privacy and Security Issues of Using AI for Academic Purposes”, Forbes, 2024, https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbalaban/2024/03/29/privacy-and-security-issues-of-using-ai-for-academic-purposes
• Baughman, Jeffrey. “The Path to China’s Intelligentized Warfare”, Cyber Defense Review, Vol. 9, No. 3, 2024, pp. 29–45.
• Beall, Abigail. “In China, Alibaba’s Data-Hungry AI Is Controlling (and Watching) Cities”, Wired, 2018, https://www.wired.com/story/alibaba-city-brain-artificial-intelligence-china-kuala-lumpur
• Berman, Noah, Lindsay Maizland and Andrew Chatzky. Is China’s Huawei a Threat to U.S. National Security?, Council on Foreign Relations, 2023, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-huawei-threat-us-national-security
• Bitzinger, Richard A. “China’s Shift from Civil-Military Integration to Military-Civil Fusion”, Asia Policy, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2021, pp. 5–24.
• Bode, Ingvild and Hendrik Huelss. “Autonomous Weapons Systems and Changing Norms in International Relations”, Review of International Studies, Vol. 44, No. 3, 2018, pp. 393–413.
• Calderaro, Andrea and Silja Blumfelde. “Artificial Intelligence and EU Security: The False Promise of Digital Sovereignty”, European Security, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2022, pp. 415–434.
• Cambridge Network. China’s Medical AI Evolution: Insights and Opportunities for UK–China Collaboration in Healthcare Innovation, Cambridge Network, 2025, https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/chinas-medical-ai-evolution-insights-and-opportunities-uk-china-collaboration-healthcare
• Cath, Corinne. “Governing Artificial Intelligence: Ethical, Legal and Technical Opportunities and Challenges”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 2018, https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2018.0080
• Chen, Jinhua and Qiang Zhang. DeepSeek Reshaping Healthcare in China’s Tertiary Hospitals, arXiv, 2025, https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.16732
• Chen, Jian and Jing Sun. “Understanding the Chinese Data Security Law”, International Cybersecurity Law Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2021, pp. 209–221.
• Creemers, Rogier. China’s Social Credit System in 2021: From Fragmentation towards Integration, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), 2021, https://merics.org/en/report/chinas-social-credit-system-2021-fragmentation-towards-integration
• Ding, Jeffrey. Deciphering China’s AI Dream, Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford, 2018, https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Deciphering_Chinas_AI-Dream.pdf
• Dinoo, Henry. “AI Crown Shifts East: Chinese Universities Overtake U.S. Rivals in Global Rankings”, Sustainability Times, 2025, https://www.sustainability-times.com/in-depth/ai-crown-shifts-east-chinese-universities-overtake-us-rivals-in-global-rankings-while-deepseek-emerges-as-the-nations-next-tech-titan
• Ekman, Alice. China’s Smart Cities: The New Geopolitical Battleground, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), 2019, https://www.ifri.org/en/publications/notes-de-lifri/chinas-smart-cities-new-geopolitical-battleground
• European Commission. Global Gateway: Up to €300 Billion for the European Union’s Strategy to Boost Sustainable Links around the World, 2021, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_6433
• European Parliament. The Impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on Artificial Intelligence, 2020, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2020/641530/EPRS_STU(2020)641530_EN
• European Parliament. EU AI Act: First Regulation on Artificial Intelligence, 2023, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence
• European Parliament. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Rights: Using AI as a Weapon of Repression and Its Impact on Human Rights, 2024, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2024/754450/EXPO_IDA(2024)754450(SUM01)_EN.pdf
• Farrell, Henry and Abraham L. Newman. “Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion.” International Security, Vol. 44, No. 1, 2019, pp. 42–79.
• Feldstein, Steven. The Global Expansion of AI Surveillance, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2019, https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/09/17/global-expansion-of-ai-surveillance-pub-79847
• Finio, Michael and Andrew Downie. Generative AI in Banking, IBM, 2024, https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/generative-ai-banking
• García-Herrero, Alicia and Marta Krystyanczuk. The Geopolitics of Artificial Intelligence after DeepSeek, Bruegel, 2025, https://www.bruegel.org/first-glance/geopolitics-artificial-intelligence-after-deepseek
• Gilpin, Robert. War and Change in World Politics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1981.
• Greene, Rebecca and Paul Triolo. Will China Control the Global Internet via Its Digital Silk Road?, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2020, https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/05/08/will-china-control-global-internet-via-its-digital-silk-road-pub-81857
• Gupta, Shubham. China’s Data Governance and Cybersecurity Regime: Balancing Control and Security with Privacy, Inclusion and Commerce, Institute for China–America Studies, 2023, https://chinaus-icas.org/research/chinas-data-governance-and-cybersecurity-regime
• Hao, Karen. “China Has Started a Grand Experiment in AI Education. It Could Reshape How the World Learns”, MIT Technology Review, 2 August 2019, https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/08/02/131198/china-squirrel-has-started-a-grand-experiment-in-ai-education-it-could-reshape-how-the-world-learns
• Hemmings, John. “Reconstructing Order: The Geopolitical Risks in China’s Digital Silk Road”, Asia Policy, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2020, pp. 5–22.
• Horowitz, Michael C. “Artificial Intelligence, International Competition, and the Balance of Power”, Texas National Security Review, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2018, pp. 36–57.
• Kania, Elsa B. Battlefield Singularity: Artificial Intelligence, Military Revolution, and China’s Future Military Power, Center for a New American Security, Washington D.C., 2019.
• Kania, Elsa B. “AI Weapons in China’s Military Innovation”, Brookings Institution, 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/research/ai-weapons-in-chinas-military-innovation
• Kania, Elsa B. and Lorand Laskai. Myths and Realities of China’s Military-Civil Fusion Strategy, Center for a New American Security, Washington D.C., 2021.
• Kania, Elsa B. “Artificial Intelligence in China’s Revolution in Military Affairs”, Journal of Strategic Studies, Vol. 44, No. 4, 2021, pp. 515–542.
• Knight, Will. “This Chinese Lab Is Aiming for Big AI Breakthroughs”, Wired, 2021, https://www.wired.com/story/chinese-lab-aiming-big-ai-breakthroughs
• Kurlantzick, Joshua and John West. Assessing China’s Digital Silk Road Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations, 2020, https://www.cfr.org/china-digital-silk-road
• Lewis, James A. China’s Pursuit of Semiconductor Independence, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 2019, https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-pursuit-semiconductor-independence
• Leahy, Joe and Tom Hu. “How a Mao-Era System Creates Second-Class Citizens in Modern China”, Financial Times, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/a2fa8e3f-da7b-4525-93f5-790fa5423ebc
• Lei, Shaohua (雷少华). “Beyond Geopolitics: Industrial Policy and Great Power Competition (超越地缘政治—产业政策与大国竞争)”, World Economics and Politics (世界经济与政治), No. 5, 2019, p. 135.
• Li, Jianmin (李建民). “China–Central Asia Economic Cooperation for 30 Years: Policy Evolution, Progress in Key Areas and Future Development Paths (中国与中亚经济合作30年—政策演进、重点领域进展及未来发展路径)”, Russian Studies (俄罗斯研究), No. 5, 2022, pp. 74–94.
• Liu, Zhen, Shuai Liu and Shiyu Fan. “Research on the Virtual Restoration of Faded Dunhuang Murals with a Global Attention Mechanism”, Heritage Science, 2025, https://www.nature.com/articles/s40494-025-01592-3
• Lynch, Sean. “Andrew Ng: Why AI Is the New Electricity”, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2017, https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/andrew-ng-why-ai-new-electricity
• Milmo, Dan and Amy Hawkins. “How China Is Using AI News Anchors to Deliver Its Propaganda”, The Guardian, 18 May 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/18/how-china-is-using-ai-news-anchors-to-deliver-its-propaganda
• Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. Artificial Intelligence Innovation Action Plan for Institutions of Higher Education, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 2018, https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/ai-innovation-action-plan-for-institutions-of-higher-education
• Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. “MOE Issues Guidance on How to Teach AI in Primary and Middle Schools”, 2024, https://en.moe.gov.cn/news/press_releases/202412/t20241210_1166454.html
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. Global AI Governance Initiative, 2024, https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyxw/202405/t20240530_11332389.html
• Moynihan, Harriet and Chatham Patel. Restrictions on Online Freedom of Expression in China: The Domestic, Regional and International Implications of China’s Policies and Practices, Chatham House, 2021, https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/2021-03-17-restrictions-online-freedom-expression-china-moynihan-patel.pdf
• Mozur, Paul. “One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority”, The New York Times, 14 April 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/technology/china-surveillance-artificial-intelligence-racial-profiling.html
• Mökander, Jakob, Pujan Juneja, David S. Watson and Luciano Floridi. “The US Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022 vs. the EU Artificial Intelligence Act: What Can They Learn from Each Other?”, Minds and Machines, Vol. 32, No. 4, 2022, pp. 751–758.
• Nan, Li. “Introducing China’s Top Virtual Idols: Ayayi and Luo Tianyi”, Jing Daily, 2021, https://jingdaily.com/posts/virtual-idols-china-celebrities-crackdown-ayayi-luo-tianyi
• Okolo, Chinasa T. AI in the Global South: Opportunities and Challenges towards More Inclusive Governance, Brookings Institution, 2023, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ai-in-the-global-south-opportunities-and-challenges-towards-more-inclusive-governance
• Pazzanese, Christina. “Ethical Concerns Mount as AI Takes Bigger Decision-Making Role in More Industries”, The Harvard Gazette, 2020, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/10/ethical-concerns-mount-as-ai-takes-bigger-decision-making-role
• Qiang, Xiao. “The Road to Digital Unfreedom: President Xi’s Surveillance State”, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2019, pp. 53–67.
• Reuters. “China Sets Up Third Fund with $47.5 Billion to Boost Semiconductor Sector”, Reuters, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-sets-up-475-bln-state-fund-boost-semiconductor-industry-2024-05-27
• Roberts, Huw, Josh Cowls, Jessica Morley, Mariarosaria Taddeo and Luciano Floridi. “The Chinese Approach to Artificial Intelligence”, AI & Society, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2021, pp. 59–77.
• Sacks, David. “Will China’s Reliance on Taiwanese Chips Prevent a War?”, Council on Foreign Relations, 2023, https://www.cfr.org/blog/will-chinas-reliance-taiwanese-chips-prevent-war
• Schiefelbein, Luke. “Is JD.com the Future of Chinese E-Commerce?”, Forbes, 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/lukeschiefelbein/2018/07/25/is-jd-com-the-future-of-chinese-e-commerce
• Segal, Adam. “China’s Vision for Cyber Sovereignty and the Global Governance of Cyberspace”, Council on Foreign Relations, 3 May 2021, https://www.cfr.org/blog/chinas-vision-cyber-sovereignty-and-global-governance-cyberspace
• Sheehan, Matt. “China’s New AI Governance Initiatives Shouldn’t Be Ignored”, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2022, https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2022/01/chinas-new-ai-governance-initiatives-shouldnt-be-ignored
• The State Council of China. Made in China 2025 Plan, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, 2015, https://cset.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/t0432_made_in_china_2025_EN.pdf
• The State Council of China. New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan, 2017, https://digichina.stanford.edu/work/full-translation-chinas-new-generation-artificial-intelligence-development-plan-2017
• The White House. Fact Sheet: President Biden and G7 Leaders Launch Build Back Better World (B3W) Partnership, 2021, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/12/fact-sheet-president-biden-and-g7-leaders-launch-build-back-better-world-b3w-partnership
• Thompson, Nicholas and Ian Bremmer. “The AI Cold War That Threatens Us All”, Wired, 2018, https://www.wired.com/story/ai-cold-war-china-could-doom-us-all
• Tlis, Frank. “China Uses DeepSeek, Other AI Models, for Surveillance and Information Attacks on the U.S.”, Voice of America, 2025, https://www.voanews.com/a/china-uses-deepseek-ai-for-surveillance-and-information-attacks-on-us/7996271.html
• Tobey, Daniel, Alex Carr, Chris Bigg, Sarah Fulton, Angela Ge and Kevin Hoffner. China Releases AI Safety Governance Framework, DLA Piper, 2024, https://www.dlapiper.com/en/insights/publications/2024/09/china-releases-ai-safety-governance-framework
• Triolo, Paul, Kevin Allison and Emily Brown. The Geopolitics of 5G, Eurasia Group, 2020, https://www.eurasiagroup.net/live-post/the-geopolitics-of-5g
• Ueno, Hiroshi. “Artificial Intelligence as Dual-Use Technology”, in H. K. Hatzilygeroudis, G. A. Tsihrintzis and L. C. Jain (eds.), Fusion of Machine Learning Paradigms, Intelligent Systems Reference Library, Vol. 236, Springer, 2023, pp. 7–32.
• United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Privacy in the Digital Age, 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/privacy-in-the-digital-age
• U.S. Department of Defense. Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China: Annual Report to Congress, 2024, https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3561549/dod-releases-2023-report-on-military-and-security-developments-involving-the-pe
• U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. Final Report, Washington D.C., U.S. Government, 2021.
• Weiss, Linda. America Inc.? Innovation and Enterprise in the National Security State. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 2014.
• Wright, Nicholas D. Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Norms: Meeting the Authoritarian Challenge, National Endowment for Democracy, 2020, https://www.ned.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/07/Artificial-Intelligence-Democratic-Norms-Meeting-Authoritarian-Challenge-Wright.pdf
• Xinhua. “AI Opens Up New Opportunities as It Closes the Urban–Rural Education Gap”, China Daily, 2025, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202504/03/WS67edcb0ca3104d9fd381d5f5.html
• Xiao, Xi (肖晞) and Guoxin Song (宋国新). “Belt and Road Cooperation under the Normalization of the COVID-19 Epidemic: Challenges, Opportunities and Approaches (新冠肺炎疫情常态化下的‘一带一路’合作：挑战、机遇与进路)”, Study & Exploration (学习与探索), No. 12, 2021, pp. 35–42.
• Ye, Junjie. “China’s Ant Group Unveils Finance AI Model as Race Heats Up”, Reuters, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinas-ant-group-unveils-finance-ai-model-race-heats-up-2023-09-08
• Yuchtman, Noam and Dali Yang. The AI–Surveillance Symbiosis in China, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2021, https://bigdatachina.csis.org/the-ai-surveillance-symbiosis-in-china
• Zeng, Jinghan. “Artificial Intelligence and China’s Authoritarian Governance”, International Affairs, Vol. 96, No. 6, 2020, pp. 1441–1459.
• Zeng, Zhi, Shuo Qiu, Peng Zhang, Xiaojun Tang, Shuai Li, Xin Liu and Bin Hu. “Virtual Restoration of Ancient Tomb Murals Based on Hyperspectral Imaging”, Heritage Science, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/s40494-024-01501-0.pdf
• Zhou, Lian (周黎安). Research Brief No. 139: Highlights from the Lecture Series – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on China’s Middle-Income Group (研究简报第139期：讲座撷华｜人工智能对中国中等收入群体的影响), 2021, https://www.gsm.pku.edu.cn/thought_leadership/info/9319/2529.htm
• Zhu, Qi. “Shenzhen Launches 70 DeepSeek-Powered AI Employees”, SHINE, 2025.