Beijing is voicing strong objections to a recent decision that mandates the removal of products from a notable Chinese artificial intelligence company, DeepSeek, from U.S. federal government computers.
China is urging the U.S. to “retract” these restrictions and has hinted at “decisive countermeasures” following the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement on Monday, which stated that DeepSeek’s products would be expunged from federal systems, as reported by the New York Times. This order also applies to products from other companies using DeepSeek’s open-source models, although the DHS has not specified the extent of their usage in federal agencies.
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, stated on Tuesday that “China will firmly uphold the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” as cited in China Daily.
The order from Homeland Security, initially issued in July, expressed concerns that DeepSeek could be leveraged by Beijing to access sensitive information and enhance “actionable intelligence,” as mentioned in the notice.
Additionally, Mao criticized the tendency to overly generalize national security concepts and politicize matters related to science, technology, and trade, sharing her remarks in a video on X.
#FMsays #China opposes overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing technology and trade issues, FM spokeswoman Mao Ning said Tuesday, responding to a #US order requiring federal civilian agencies to remove #AI products developed by Chinese firm DeepSeek from their IT systems. China will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, she said.
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) October 20, 2026
As a result of the federal Homeland Security measures, DeepSeek is now off-limits to executive agencies. These actions were taken following a decision on Friday under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018, according to a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) spokesperson who informed the Daily Caller News Foundation.
According to the spokesperson, “These FASCSA orders forbid the installation, access, or operation of any DeepSeek application by Executive agencies, and also require the identification and removal of any existing installations. Agencies are not allowed to procure DeepSeek applications or award contracts involving them.”
A representative from DHS emphasized the department’s commitment to protecting American innovation and shielding citizens from intellectual property theft, though they acknowledged that such sanction actions are typically not disclosed.
Neither the Chinese Embassy in Washington nor DeepSeek has responded promptly to requests for comments from the DCNF.
U.S. agencies, including CISA, have accused DeepSeek of appropriating American models, according to a press release issued on September 8.
Prior to this, several federal agencies, including the Navy and NASA, had previously banned DeepSeek, with some states also prohibiting its use by government bodies, as noted by the NYT.
