  Artificial Intelligence (AI), a cornerstone of 21st-century technology, has
seen remarkable growth in China. In this paper, we examine China's AI
development process, demonstrating that it is characterized by rapid learning
and differentiation, surpassing the export-oriented growth propelled by Foreign
Direct Investment seen in earlier Asian industrializers.
  Our data indicates that China currently leads the USA in the volume of
AI-related research papers. However, when we delve into the quality of these
papers based on specific metrics, the USA retains a slight edge. Nevertheless,
the pace and scale of China's AI development remain noteworthy.
  We attribute China's accelerated AI progress to several factors, including
global trends favoring open access to algorithms and research papers,
contributions from China's broad diaspora and returnees, and relatively lax
data protection policies.
  In the vein of our research, we have developed a novel measure for gauging
China's imitation of US research. Our analysis shows that by 2018, the time lag
between China and the USA in addressing AI research topics had evaporated. This
finding suggests that China has effectively bridged a significant knowledge gap
and could potentially be setting out on an independent research trajectory.
  While this study compares China and the USA exclusively, it's important to
note that research collaborations between these two nations have resulted in
more highly cited work than those produced by either country independently.
This underscores the power of international cooperation in driving scientific
progress in AI.
