GOOD MORNING FROM LONDON
27 JULY 2026. CHINA POST #632
CHINA AND THE FOREIGN MEDIA
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IN THIS ISSUE – TWO TOPICS.
THE FIRST IS ABOUT ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE CHALLENGE THAT CHINA PRESENTS TO THE U.S
THE SECOND IS ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF REACHING UNIVERSITY IN CHINA – THE GOOD NEWS AND THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS.
BACK TO DR JI AND JACK PERRY IN CHINA POST #633
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CHINA’S CLAUDE MYTHOS
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MICHAEL SULMEYER is Professor of the Practice at Georgetown University and previously served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy.
Professor Sulmeyer writes
“In April, Anthropic disclosed that its newest frontier AI model, Claude Mythos, could find and exploit security vulnerabilities in software better than “all but the most skilled humans.” By way of example, the company noted that the model had uncovered a flaw that had gone undetected for 27 years in a secure operating system used to run firewalls that guard sensitive networks. The revelation jolted the cybersecurity and national security communities. Despite some allegations that Anthropic’s warnings about Mythos simply constituted marketing, leading commercial software companies given early access to the model have corroborated Anthropic’s claim. Work that long belonged to a small class of elite specialists can now be done by AI, faster and at a greater scale than human teams or earlier automated tools can match.
As firms use Mythos to hunt and fix flaws in their products, a more urgent question looms: how to defend the United States and its allies from AI-powered cyberwarfare. The United States may only have nine to 12 months to protect its critical infrastructure from AI-powered attacks. Currently, two American companies, Anthropic (for which I consult) and OpenAI, have publicly demonstrated AI models advanced enough to detect flaws in software far beyond the human capacity to find, and they are restricting the use of these models to defensive cybersecurity work.
But the United States’ adversaries, and the criminals in their orbit, will soon wield the same offensive tools. China in particular, is already racing to build and acquire these AI capabilities and may be closer to developing its own Mythos than many U.S. policymakers hope. Advanced AI will sharpen an instrument that Beijing already prizes: the credible threat to deter a fight over Taiwan before it begins by disrupting the island’s critical infrastructure and that of any nation that seeks to defend it.”
GRAHAM PERRY COMMENTS;-
Professor Sulmeyer is a big name – in the world of Artificial Intelligence and in the world of Political Power – two key disciplines. When he speaks we should listen. He was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defence.
He writes;- “China in particular, is already racing to build and acquire these AI capabilities and may be closer to developing its own Mythos than many U.S. policymakers hope.”
It is not too dramatic to say that China haunts the U.S. Whether it is China’s 29,800 miles of high-speed trains (about 70% of the global total of high-speed trains) or DeepSeek, or Wind Turbines or Rare Earths, China is something the U.S. has never previously encountered. China is focused, alert, and technically proficient. It has a plan for development And it is not going away. It is a whole new world and the U.S. is struggling to know how to handle the challenge – how to deal with China – how to draft a programme of response.
Success is not guaranteed in China. It is not automatic. It depends on the continuation of good government and that depends on Xi’s government continuing to get its priorities right; it depends on a smooth hand over of power when Xi steps down; and it depends on China remaining focused, alert, aware and with a clear political programme of building prosperity and maintaining stability.
These are the two watchwords uppermost in the minds of the Chinese leaders – Stability and Prosperity. Bad leadership and poor government hastened the disruption, chaos and brutality of the Cultural Revolution. It may have ended in 1976 but is a permanent memory point in the minds of the Politburo, the Central Committee and the 98 million Party members.
Back to the US mindset on China. The starting point has always been that the U.S. has never understood China. Yes, their academics are learning Mandarin and reading Chinese publications. Yes, their politicians meet regularly with their counterparts in Beijing. Yes, their students have studied Chinese history, culture, politics. And yet they just do not get it. They still fail to understand the path that China is on. They do not understand the Chinese mindset about the Cultural Revolution or the Tiananmin Deaths of 1989 – both events are such an important part of China’s mindset today, And none grasp the essence of Xi’s anti-corruption drive that has been a priority policy from his first day in office (And you, the reader, might want to cast your eyes over Xi’s writings on this subject if you want to get a glimpse of the mindset of the Politburo today)
Reverting to China’s chase of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, the anxiety is how quickly China has secured a foothold and accessed the U.S infrastructure in these sectors. This is nothing to do with copying blueprints – the explanation that the U.S. always falls back upon to explain China’s progress (nothing underlines the enormous self-deception of the U.S. more than its comforting tale of Chinese deceit.)
Shane D. Shook is a venture partner at Forgepoint Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and infrastructure software. He has his finger on the pulse and writes;-
“About 40% of China’s university degrees are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – double the U.S.
The United States still leads in private AI investment, but it has not matched that commitment with investment in the human capital needed to sustain it.
The U.S. is still not producing enough people with STEM skills.
The numbers are sobering. The U.S. now mints fewer than 820,000 STEM graduates annually, representing about 20% of all degrees awarded. In contrast, China produces roughly 3.57 million STEM graduates each year – about 40% of its university degrees.
At the doctoral level, the gap is even wider. In 2000, the United States awarded 17,830 STEM PhDs, compared with China’s 7,520. By 2022, China awarded more than 50,970 STEM doctorates, over 50% more than the 33,820 awarded in the U.S.
This matters directly to AI leadership. Countries building the strongest STEM pipelines today are positioning themselves to define the architecture, governance and standards of AI systems tomorrow.
China has embedded AI degree programs across more than 500 universities and integrated corporations directly into research and workforce pipelines.”
Shane Shook concludes;- “The hardest thing to manage is change and China is streets ahead.”
Again – success in China is not ordained. It is not inevitable. Things can go off centre in China if the leadership becomes smug and complacent. It has to maintain a high level of commitment. It has to be vigilant. It has to be motivated.
So far so good. But the leaders are people and people are human beings with strengths and weaknesses. China is a moment in time – a moment in history. Much depends for the future of the world on the Chinese experiment. It is fortunate that it has the unsuccessful model of the USSR in order to know what mistakes and errors to avoid. China is not for the short term. It is not for next year or for the next ten years. This is for the long term – certainly for the rest of this Century and beyond as well. That is why the STEM issue is so important.
Remember the numbers;- China had 7,520 STEM doctorates in the year 2000. In the year 2022, China awarded more than 50,970 STEM doctorates.
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A BIG STORY IN CHINA
GIRL SCORES HIGH IN ENTRANCE EXAMS TO TOP UNIVERSITY – WITHOUT TUTORING CLASSES
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Good News and Bad News
“A girl in China, who was recently admitted to the prestigious Tsinghua University with an extremely high score on the national university entrance exam, has gone viral on social media after it emerged that her parents had never sent her to after-school tutoring classes, choosing instead to provide a relaxed home environment.
Xu Yifang graduated from Xuchang High School in central China’s Henan province this summer. In mid-July, she received an admission notice from Tsinghua after she achieved a score of 694 out of a possible 750 points, Dahe News reported.
She will study nuclear technology, the report said.
What sets Xu apart from most elite students in China is that she never received private tutoring. She just finished her homework as required by school teachers.
As one of China’s most selective and prestigious academic institutions, Tsinghua University remains the ultimate dream destination for millions of gaokao candidates nationwide. Photo: 163.com
The national university entrance exam, known as gaokao in Chinese, is regarded as the most important test in the country, with many young people seeing it as a fate-changing opportunity.
To achieve a high score in the Gaokao gruelling exam, most lower secondary school students across China not only study hard at school, but also spend all their spare time at private tutoring institutions.
GRAHAM PERRY COMMENTS;-
In Xu’s case, her parents are both teachers at a local college. Her father said he only tutored Xu in maths for a short period when she was a primary school pupil, but focused on supervising her to do her homework on time. He added that for the past three years, he had mostly cared about his daughter’s mental health. Prioritising her mental well-being over rigid test scores, Xu’s parents fostered a relaxed home environment built on the belief that life is a long journey where mistakes are a natural part of growth.
“Life is a long journey. You don’t need to be so nervous or anxious on a particular part of it. It is allowed to make mistakes,” Said Xu’s mother.
The authorities in China are concerned about the sums parents are paying to private education institutions. But the parents want the best for their children – naturally – and therefore go to great lengths. Hence a surge in income for “Crammer” type schools. But there are consequences especially for those children that fail. Their self-confidence drops and they carry the burden of believing that they have failed their parents.
China is wrestling with this dilemma. Wanting the best for your children comes at a price and the authorities are concerned that the accelerated learning institutions with the sales pitch of gaining university entrance are promoting panic.
Xu said she had three success tips for studying – summarising and reviewing in time, finding out one’s own suitable method and maintaining a stable mindset.
She also thanked her teacher for ordering her to run a long distance every evening.
This story has a happy ending. Xu gets her place a top university; her parents have been supportive but aware of how not to pressurise their daughter. But there are unhappy stories as well. Students who suffer mental harm; parents who feel let down by their children; Tutoring companies who exploit parental ambition.
There is also the Big Picture Aspect – the Role and Purpose of Individual Ambition in a Collectivist Society.
Serving Yourself or Serving the People or – a Mix of the Two?
Building Socialism is a Challenge.
GRAHAM PERRY
