China delivers a one-two punch to America’s AI dominance

Core point

China's AI companies are intensifying competition with the US by unveiling new models that they claim rival those from OpenAI and Anthropic. Moonshot AI introduced Kimi K3, which it asserts ranks highly against US systems, while Alibaba previewed Qwen3.8, described as one of the most powerful models available. Both companies are making their advanced models publicly accessible, contrasting with the more closed approach of some US firms. The rapid development of these models highlights the escalating technological race between the US and China.