China’s People’s Daily urges stronger IP regime to steer AI development

While framed as an IP essay, this People’s Daily piece is really a signal about how Beijing wants to structure incentives in its AI ecosystem. It explicitly acknowledges that China sits in the global “first echelon” of AI, but still lags on fundamentals like basic theory and key core technologies. The proposed remedy is to lean harder on IP as a strategic resource—tightening protection, clarifying ownership around data‑ and model‑driven inventions, and building patent pools in AI to accelerate commercialisation. ([paper.people.com.cn](https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/content/202512/18/content_30125526.html))

For the race to AGI, this suggests China will push for a high‑IP, high‑coordination model rather than a loose open‑source–dominated ecosystem. Central authorities are effectively telling firms and labs: file more patents, use them, and expect the state to back you when competing globally. That could stimulate more applied research and standard‑setting around AI tooling, but may also complicate international collaboration and open‑weight model sharing. It’s also notable that the article ties IP closely to safety and governance, arguing that clear rights and data controls are preconditions for managing AI risks. Western policymakers often separate competition, IP and safety debates; Beijing is increasingly treating them as one integrated industrial‑policy problem.