Innovation reshapes China's digital landscape

Nation defining global tech surge on own terms; now 'originator', not just mere 'follower'

People celebrate the movie Ne Zha 2around themed sculptures in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Feb 7. (ZHANG LANG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE)

As China recently rang in the Year of the Snake, three unexpected stars dominated the headlines both at home and abroad.

These were — the meteoric rise of Chinese AI model DeepSeek, which is poised to challenge Silicon Valley's dominance; 16 humanoid robots performing the traditional yangge dance at the country's most-watched TV event, and the record-breaking box-office performance of Ne Zha 2, a film powered by cutting-edge animation technology.

While each of these represents a different facet of China's technological rise, their popularity underscores how innovation, ambition and resilience are reshaping China's tech landscape amid rising political suppression from Western countries.

Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said: "The rare phenomenon of Chinese tech products becoming a global sensation has disrupted conventional thinking about the nation's innovation ecosystem.

"Many countries are wondering how these Chinese startups, not even big names, can give birth to such groundbreaking innovations despite United States' restrictions, and within what kind of system such innovations can take root in such a short time in China.

"They also start to reassess the power of markets, investment funds, application scenarios, young talent, and an open environment to a country's technological rise," he said.

At the center of this year's technological spectacle is DeepSeek, an ambitious Chinese artificial intelligence model gaining global traction with its cost-effective but powerful large model.