What happens when the Chinese government decides that its own people can't be trusted with the state-of-the-art AI tools being developed by American companies? At the GZERO Summit in Japan, Ian Bremmer explored the tech-driven US-China rivalry. The US remains a key player in AI innovation, developing tools that are improving efficiency, health, and access to information on a global scale. Yet China’s rising dominance in clean energy, particularly in electric vehicles, solar, wind, and next-generation nuclear power, is compelling global alignment. "If we don't want to work with the Chinese, it won't stop them," Bremmer said, underscoring the inevitability of China's post-carbon influence.

As these technological races accelerate, it remains clear that the US and China will continue to shape the future in distinct and often opposing ways, leaving other nations to navigate the complex terrain between these global giants.

Click to watch Ian Bremmer’s analysis and his full 2024 "State of the World" speech.

More For You

Ukraine's Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov speaks at a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 1, 2026.
REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Critics have said that Zelensky – now in his seventh year in office – has been in power for too long.

A banner reading "Buy Canadian", in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, is held aloft by a pair of hockey sticks in front of a house in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada March 5, 2025.
REUTERS/Ed White

Washington and Ottawa are down to the wire with last-minute talks to reach an agreement by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, when President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on over $20 billion of Canadian goods.