China rejects Anthropic’s call for independent AI safety monitors

Two days after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay calling for independent safety evaluators to be embedded inside AI labs, China’s Foreign Ministry told him, in diplomatic terms, to mind his own business. Beijing dismissed the proposal on September 14, 2026, calling it fearmongering dressed up as safety advocacy. Chinese officials framed the suggestion as part of a broader Cold War strategy designed to slow China’s AI progress under the guise of responsible development. The timing is notable: bilateral AI governance talks between the US and China are scheduled for late September, including a planned meeting between Trump and Xi on September 24. What Amodei proposed and why Beijing bristled Amodei’s essay, published September 12-13, made two core arguments. First, that AI development should decelerate to give safety research time to catch up. Second, that independent evaluators should have access to the inner workings of major AI labs to ensure accountability. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson made clear that Beijing views independent monitors as a Trojan horse. The concern, stated bluntly, is that Western-aligned evaluators would gain access to sensitive Chinese AI s...