The Trump administration is promoting American artificial intelligence exports and maritime surveillance technologies at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in southern China this week, as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s growing technological and maritime influence.
Casey Mace, the U.S. senior official to APEC, said Washington had launched a $20 million fund to support the adoption of American AI technologies by partner economies in the region. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to reinforce U.S. leadership in emerging technologies.
The meetings come ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China in April and Beijing’s hosting of the APEC leaders’ summit in Shenzhen in November events likely to highlight intensifying competition between the world’s two largest economies.
China has sought to narrow the technological gap with the United States in artificial intelligence, although limited access to advanced chipmaking tools has constrained progress.
“China’s AI technology promotes CCP propaganda and censorship, while its vision for AI governance seeks to enable authoritarian repression,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
Beijing has previously rejected Western accusations that its technology exports facilitate censorship, maintaining that it supports global cooperation on AI governance.
In July last year, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at ensuring that American AI technologies, standards and governance models are adopted worldwide.
Maritime Surveillance and Illegal Fishing
Beyond artificial intelligence, Washington is also using the APEC platform to promote private-sector technologies designed to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity the U.S. says undermines food security and maritime sovereignty across the Pacific.
Ruth Perry, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, said China’s distant-water fishing fleet estimated at 18,000 vessels presents enforcement challenges for smaller coastal states.
“Many countries are negatively impacted and China is a perpetrator … the size of the fleet can’t be ignored across the Pacific,” Perry said, pointing to reports suggesting a high level of state coordination.
U.S. companies are developing tools including satellite-based vessel tracking, AI-powered analytics, acoustic detection systems and sensor-equipped ocean buoys to help governments monitor fishing activity, she added.
Illegal fishing is frequently linked to other transnational crimes such as forced labour, trafficking and smuggling.
Perry noted that China’s revised Fisheries Law is due to take effect in May. “They’re saying all the right things and we want to see if they’re going to follow through with those actions,” she said.
(with inputs from Reuters)
