Artificial intelligence (AI) has been spotlighted at the ongoing APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, with many participants calling for cooperation rather than confrontation in the industry.
Themed "Bridge, Business, Beyond", the four-day summit opened on Wednesday as part of the larger APEC Economic Leaders' Week.
At the summit, Beijing-based AI firm 4Paradigm expressed frustration over navigating U.S. export restrictions on advanced chips essential for AI training.
"Actually, it's a problem nowadays. We should face squarely the problem. We are making better and better chips. We can develop a lot of systems based on these chips, but there's still some gap. But we are catching [up with] them," said Dai Wenyuan, founder and CEO of 4Paradigm.
As the AI sector navigates intensifying U.S.-China rivalry, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum's commitment to multilateral collaboration collides with geopolitical tensions, though numerous participants maintain an optimistic, cooperative stance.
"I don't think there's a competition between the U.S. and China. We should cooperate. Even if there are some barriers, we can also improve our work, because our goal is to do better and better technologically and make the life better," Dai said.
As two leading AI powers in the world, the U.S. and China have developed distinctively different ecosystems, each building its own large language models and generative tools for images and audio.
However, tech leaders at the APEC CEO Summit say that diversity ultimately benefits companies in choosing which AI technology to adopt.
"There's a lot of innovation, obviously, coming out of the U.S. But now, China has actually also been catching up with respect to the frontier models, and the application and adoption of AI. It is less going to be, from a global business standpoint, versus it's going to be, and how do you adopt the innovation coming out from different regions," said Nitin Mittal, a principal with Deloitte Consulting.
APEC CEO Summit participants call for cooperation over confrontation in AI industry
As China accelerates its push toward agricultural modernization, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and breeding innovation will be key to building "new quality productive forces" in farming and animal husbandry, said Liu Yonghao, chairman of New Hope Group, a leading animal feed producer and one of the largest private companies in China.
Liu, also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), highlighted the agricultural sector's remarkable progress while outlining the path forward for sustainable growth in an interview with the China Media Group (CMG).
"Over the past five years, agricultural science and technology has advanced rapidly and agricultural mechanization has reached a historic high. The overall mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting and harvesting has exceeded 73 percent. Promoting agricultural modernization and fostering new quality productive forces in agriculture and animal husbandry is an important foundation for building a strong agricultural country. The 2026 No. 1 Central Document clearly calls for integrating artificial intelligence with agricultural development. Breakthroughs in AI technologies have opened up broader development prospects for agriculture," he said.
When asked about key areas for developing "new quality productive forces" in agriculture, Liu identified three priorities.
"In the new agricultural landscape, sustainable growth for enterprises depends on new quality productive forces, mainly in three areas. First, Breeding innovation. By improving the genes of pigs, cattle, chickens and ducks, we enhance product quality. Working with Huazhong Agricultural University, we use porcine liquid chip technology to develop high-quality pig breeds. Second, Smart management. AI helps make farming and planting more scientific and efficient, increasing output while reducing costs. Third, Tech-enabled marketing. We integrate online and offline channels and develop new products. For example, the tree tomato from Yunnan has been made into a popular plant-based hotpot base thanks to its bright color, unique taste and rich nutrition," he added.
New Hope chairman highlights AI-driven transformation in China's agricultural sector
