Laura Bicker

Head in hands, eight-year-old Timmy mutters to himself as he tries to beat a robot powered by artificial intelligence at a game of chess. This is not an AI showroom or an AI lab. This is a middle-class living room in Beijing. It's like a little teacher or a little friend, he says, as the mechanical arm moves another chess piece.

China is embracing AI in its bid to become a global leader in technology by 2030. And Timmy's mum, Yan Xue, wants to be ahead of the curve. This is an inevitable trend. We will coexist with AI. Children should get to know it as soon as possible. This is what the Communist Party hopes to hear as it pushes AI development to revive the economy.

China is embracing AI in its bid to become a global leader in technology by 2030. And Timmy's mum, Yan Xue, wants to be ahead of the curve. This is an inevitable trend. We will coexist with AI. Children should get to know it as soon as possible. This is what the Communist Party hopes to hear as it pushes AI development to revive the economy.

At an exhibition in Shanghai, you get a glimpse of the kind of developments they're looking at. So I'm watching two teams of robots play one another at football. Now, it's not perfect when they fall over. They do need a little help getting back up. One's just tumbled there. Humanoid robots also walk among us, alongside back-flipping dog-like bots made by a rising star in China called Unitree.

At an exhibition in Shanghai, you get a glimpse of the kind of developments they're looking at. So I'm watching two teams of robots play one another at football. Now, it's not perfect when they fall over. They do need a little help getting back up. One's just tumbled there. Humanoid robots also walk among us, alongside back-flipping dog-like bots made by a rising star in China called Unitree.

But there's one name on everyone's mind.

But there's one name on everyone's mind.

DeepSeek was a breakthrough Chinese chatbot that caught the world's attention in January. It was seen as proof that Chinese companies can overcome US export controls on advanced chips. Can you make the dinosaur move? Interest in AI is now fostered at an early age in China. What you can hear is a moving brick dinosaur built by an eight-year-old.

DeepSeek was a breakthrough Chinese chatbot that caught the world's attention in January. It was seen as proof that Chinese companies can overcome US export controls on advanced chips. Can you make the dinosaur move? Interest in AI is now fostered at an early age in China. What you can hear is a moving brick dinosaur built by an eight-year-old.

He's also learning to code to make it move forward and back and, of course, roar. These bots are sold to children as young as three across the world, but made here in China. Abbott Liu is the vice president of Whalesbot.

He's also learning to code to make it move forward and back and, of course, roar. These bots are sold to children as young as three across the world, but made here in China. Abbott Liu is the vice president of Whalesbot.

China has more graduates in science, technology, engineering and maths than anywhere else in the world, giving it an edge. The game is abnormal. I'll restore it. You cannot cheat.

China has more graduates in science, technology, engineering and maths than anywhere else in the world, giving it an edge. The game is abnormal. I'll restore it. You cannot cheat.

Tommy Tang is CEO of Sense Robot that makes the chess playing bot. Now, before artificial intelligence, this robot could cost around $40,000 because of the mechanical arm. But they've used artificial intelligence in the manufacturing process and that has reduced the cost to around $1,000. She's not happy with me. LAUGHTER

Tommy Tang is CEO of Sense Robot that makes the chess playing bot. Now, before artificial intelligence, this robot could cost around $40,000 because of the mechanical arm. But they've used artificial intelligence in the manufacturing process and that has reduced the cost to around $1,000. She's not happy with me. LAUGHTER

Do you think one day we will have such a robot that will be able to read our emotions? Do you think that's possible?

Do you think one day we will have such a robot that will be able to read our emotions? Do you think that's possible?

As companies plan their next move, President Xi continues to invest heavily in AI, in robots and advanced tech, in preparation for a race against the US that he hopes China will eventually win. Thanks for the game, but you've made great progress. I look forward to our next game.

As companies plan their next move, President Xi continues to invest heavily in AI, in robots and advanced tech, in preparation for a race against the US that he hopes China will eventually win. Thanks for the game, but you've made great progress. I look forward to our next game.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper said the countermeasures will likely target US agricultural and food products. China remains the biggest market for US agriculture products even after Beijing slapped tariffs of up to 25% on soybeans, beef, pork, wheat and corn in 2018 in retaliation for duties on Chinese goods imposed by President Trump.