tech policy

Apple's China AI Deal Is the Template Governments Have Been Waiting For Apple's regulatory approval to deploy AI services in China—using Alibaba's Qwen model—isn't a market victory. It's a precedent. And every other Western tech company will eventually face the same negotiation: surrender meaningful control of your AI infrastructure to a state-approved domestic vendor, or don't sell into that market at all. This China AI deal signals a fundamental shift in how governments view artificial intelligence—not as a product category, but as critical infrastructure that demands sovereign gatekeepers. Photo by William Hook on Unsplash The Qwen Model Isn't a Partnership—It's…