Teo Han Wue

The US and China are the two leading countries in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide. In 2025, the US government spent US$471 billion on AI development, followed by China’s US$119 billion. Despite the lower financial allocation, China was able to develop an AI-powered chatbot, DeepSeek, at a lower cost. In addition, China has recently drawn global attention with its “humanoid robots”, meaning machines that are designed to look and act like people.

Reflecting on the assassination attempts against US President Trump, commentator Deng Yuwen argues that institutions once seen as sources of public confidence have weakened, while repeated gunfire in symbolic spaces of power shows external hatred increasingly penetrating the system’s boundaries. This is especially dangerous when the US president becomes a highly symbolic figure embodying political conflict.

Cyberfraud and the proliferation of massive online scam centres are growing problems throughout Southeast Asia. Both China and the US have vested interests in combating such criminal activities. Unfortunately, the pragmatic application of solutions tends to get mired in geopolitical rivalry.