AI Fever Sweeps China’s Political Huddle, Fueling Tech Optimism

  • Push for high-tech development follows DeepSeek’s breakthrough
  • Chinese shares posted best NPC performance since 2018
The National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8.Photographer: Liu Dawei/Xinhua/Getty Images
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For some years now, China’s annual gathering of its national legislature has been an increasingly disciplined and choreographed affair — its muted vibes practically an echo of deepening concern about domestic stagnation.

Not this time. The National People’s Congress seven-day gathering, which concluded Tuesday in Beijing, came on the heels of a breakthrough in artificial intelligence by China’s home-grown startup DeepSeek that’s fired up investors, politicians and even regulators. It also followed President Xi Jinping’s high-profile meeting with business chiefs including Jack Ma.