China on Monday rejected calls from leading U.S. artificial intelligence executives to slow the development of advanced models, labeling the warnings as fearmongering that disrupts global governance efforts.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing in Beijing. He said countries should pursue an open, inclusive, universally beneficial, and ethical approach to AI. Guo added that fearmongering, confrontation, and vicious competition would only disrupt the process of global AI governance and serve no one's interests.

The comments responded to recent statements from executives including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who urged a moderated pace of frontier model improvements, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who supported greater independent oversight. Elon Musk also backed aspects of the slowdown proposal. President Trump has expressed skepticism toward the warnings, prioritizing American leadership over China in the technology.

Beijing's stance aligns with its broader push to advance AI capabilities amid intensifying U.S.-China competition. State media outlets have framed the U.S. proposals as efforts to contain China and preserve American technological dominance. Chinese officials have separately highlighted domestic security concerns around AI misuse while continuing to accelerate development programs.

The exchange underscores challenges in achieving international coordination on AI safety. With both nations viewing leadership in the field as a strategic priority, proposals for voluntary pacing face resistance from Beijing, which sees them as potentially entrenching Western advantages. U.S. policymakers have long expressed concerns that a Chinese lead in AI could carry national security risks.