US to push AI funding, fisheries tech at APEC

The United States is promoting artificial intelligence exports and maritime surveillance technologies at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings held in southern China. This initiative, led by the Trump administration, includes launching a $20 million fund aimed at supporting the adoption of American AI technologies among partner economies in the Asia-Pacific region. The effort is part of a broader strategy to bolster U.S. leadership in emerging technologies while countering Beijing’s growing technological and maritime influence.

Casey Mace, the U.S. senior official to APEC, emphasized that the funding will support the deployment of AI infrastructure and encourage regional cooperation around governance models based on American standards. The U.S. government criticizes China’s approach to AI, highlighting its use for the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, censorship, and authoritarian repression.

In addition to AI, the U.S. is also advancing American private-sector technologies focused on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in Pacific waters. These efforts address concerns over food security and maritime sovereignty in the region.

This push comes amid ongoing geopolitical competition with China, where the U.S. is leveraging APEC as a platform to promote transparent and democratic applications of advanced technologies and to strengthen alliances through technology collaboration. The initiative reflects Washington’s broader policy to shape AI governance and technology deployment globally in ways that challenge China’s rising influence.