China-Africa Space Co-op Shows Tech’s Multipolarization, Democratization Trends
Illustration: Liu Rui/GT
In recent years, cooperation between China and Africa in the space field has deepened. However, some Western media outlets have tried to distort the nature of this cooperation. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that China is “building space alliances in Africa to enhance its global surveillance network and advance its bid to become the world’s dominant space power.” The article also cited remarks from the Pentagon, claiming that China’s space projects in Africa and other parts of the developing world are a “security risk.”
The real security risk is not cooperation or the sharing of technology, but the ideological prejudice of the West that clings to hegemony and obstructs progress. For a long time, space and other high-tech fields have been dominated by the US and its allies. Behind the smear campaigns of Western media lies the West’s fear of China-Africa cooperation.
The cooperation between China and Egypt in space technology, referred to by foreign media as “China’s secretive overseas space program,” has been open and transparent. Public records show that Egypt is the first country to carry out satellite cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the end of 2023, the jointly designed and developed satellite MISRSAT-2 was successfully send into orbit. An Egyptian Space Agency official said that the project has promoted the training of Egyptian space professionals, helping Egypt become a leader in the field of space satellites in Africa and the Middle East. This “teach a man to fish” approach is a key step for Africa to achieve autonomous industrialization and modernization.
Western media’s smear campaign against China-Africa space cooperation ignores the legitimate need for African countries to develop space technology. Space technology and monitoring systems can be used for weather monitoring, agricultural planning, environmental protection, and disaster management, helping Africa address climate change, improve agricultural productivity, optimize resource management, and enhance national emergency response capabilities.
More broadly, China-Africa space cooperation reflects the changing global technological cooperation landscape and the reshaping of development rights. In the past, developing countries often had to rely on Western countries for technological aid, which came with many restrictions. However, through the concept of South-South cooperation, China has provided a more equal and sustainable cooperation model, helping African countries achieve self-development in critical fields such as space technology. This not only enhances Africa’s position in the global technology system, encouraging developing countries to participate in global technology governance, but also contributes to advancing the global multipolarization process.
“Space is not a club for the rich,” said Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert. Through win-win cooperation with Africa, China is helping more developing countries to quickly enter the mainstream of global technological development, embodying the democratization and multipolarization trend of modern technology, he noted.
The focus of African and Global South countries is on more practical and sustainable development needs, rather than geopolitical games. The US and Western countries must choose the right path – abandoning the mind-set of technological hegemony, adopting a more open and inclusive approach, and actively participating in the global technological cooperation process.
From infrastructure construction to focusing on modernization and cutting-edge technology, the “sour grapes” narrative of foreign media cannot conceal the fruitful outcomes of China-Africa cooperation. While the West is busy weaving lies, China and Africa have already woven a network of development and illuminated an autonomous future with technology, writing a new chapter of unity and development for the Global South.
DeepSeek
China’s AI “Embracing Open Source” Offers Insights to the World
by Global Times / February 14th, 2025
The breakthroughs in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology have sparked ongoing reverberations internationally. Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, publicly praised DeepSeek in recent days, saying it did some “nice work.” In a surprising 180-degree shift, he also expressed a desire to “work with China.” At the recently concluded Paris AI Action Summit, the French startup Mistral, also using an open-source model, was placed under high expectations. Moreover, when news broke of Apple collaborating with Alibaba to develop localized AI functions, both companies experienced a surge in their stock prices.
The fact is, China’s AI companies’ “embrace of open source” has not only paved new paths for their own growth but has also spurred demand for cross-border AI collaborations among enterprises. It is driving the global AI ecosystem to transform toward “open-source inclusivity.”
By offering some of its models for free, DeepSeek has ensured that the digital dividends of the AI era are shared equitably among all internet users. This decentralized, open-source strategy stands in stark contrast to the closed ecosystems, high resource barriers, and monopolization by a few players that have characterized AI technology in Western countries. It aligns with the global process of technological democratization. Silicon Valley venture capitalist Marc Andreessen wrote on social media platform X that as open-source, DeepSeek R1 is “a profound gift to the world.”
In recent years, China has been actively developing multiple national-level AI open innovation platforms, providing open access and shared computing resources. It can be said that the success of “open-source” large models is deeply rooted in the rich soil of “open source.” We observe that the development of AI technology follows a spiral progression of “open source-innovation-iteration,” a logic that also underpins global technological and economic development.
Today, from DeepSeek’s open-source ecosystem to Baidu’s Apollo autonomous driving open platform, from cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the pharmaceutical industry to collaborative innovation among multinational enterprises, these practices collectively illustrate a fundamental truth: The future of AI belongs to openness and sharing. Open source and inclusivity can certainly become a model for collaborative win-win scenarios in the global AI field, empowering and promoting sustainable development in the era of intelligence.
On February 12, The Conversation, a news website based in Australia, published an article stating that Chinese enterprises’ embrace of open-source AI “promises to reshape the AI landscape almost overnight.” The key drivers behind China’s rise in AI, in addition to being “fast” and “collaborative,” also include being “market-driven.” Thanks to China’s robust industrial supply chain, AI technology is being implemented at an astonishing pace. This is evident in the recent wave of adoption sparked by DeepSeek in China: Over a dozen local cloud-based AI chip manufacturers have announced compatibility or launched DeepSeek model services, several cloud computing giants have pledged support for DeepSeek, and industries such as telecommunications, automotive, brokerage, and education are rapidly integrating DeepSeek. This signifies that AI will play a leading role in driving the development of new quality productive forces, acting as a catalyst for broader innovation and overall economic quality improvement in China. It will also create new opportunities and possibilities for international cooperation.
At the recent Paris AI Action Summit, representatives from over 60 signatories, including China, jointly released a document titled “Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet.” Notably, only the representatives from the US and the UK did not sign. This indicates that the self-centered, exclusive and hegemonic logic of AI development has little market appeal internationally, while China’s advocated concept of open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and equal AI governance is recognized and accepted by the vast majority of global members.
Isolating oneself to pursue development without an environment for communication and competition risks being replaced by entirely new pathways, regardless of how high computational power is amassed. Only through open collaboration can we address global issues such as the distribution of computational power and the establishment of ethical standards. Attempting to maintain a competitive advantage in the AI era by digging “moats” is akin to dreaming, let alone opening the “interstellar gate.”
Moreover, closing the door on China means losing opportunities for exchanges involving advanced technologies. Some media outlets have pointed out that American companies’ further utilization of China’s open-source technology potential may be constrained by domestic political barriers.
Currently, the global development of AI is at a crossroads. Should we continue to rely on the hegemony of computing power to build technological barriers, or should we strive for common prosperity through inclusive cooperation? China’s answer is to promote innovation through open-source initiatives and seek development through inclusivity. As China integrates into the global technology network with a humble and open attitude, the world becomes more vibrant due to the convergence of diverse forces. The future of AI development may be defined by “symbiosis in competition.” The dawn of technological equality is beginning to emerge, and China looks forward to joining hands with the world to create a more inclusive era of intelligence.
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