China's investment in artificial intelligence was 290 billion in 2026.

Omissions

• The $290-295 billion China figure is a FIVE-YEAR cumulative plan (2026-2031), not annual spending; presenting it as 'in this year' inflates the annual Chinese figure roughly five-fold.
• The comparison mixes metrics: US $600 billion is a one-year private-sector/big-tech capex forecast (Goldman Sachs, Reuters), while China's figure is a multi-year government/state-directed data-centre programme.
• Stanford HAI AI Index 2026 reports China's private AI investment at only $12.4 billion in 2025 versus $285.9 billion in the US — a very different picture from the $290 billion vs $600 billion framing.
• The Bloomberg/Quartz reporting on the Chinese plan was published 2026-06-09, so the MEP could have known it, but it describes a five-year plan, not a 2026 outlay.

Sources

• AcademicStanford HAI — The 2026 AI Index ReportU.S. private AI investment reached $285.9 billion in 2025, more than 23 times the $12.4 billion invested in China
• SecondaryBloomberg — China Plans $295 Billion Investment to Build Nationwide AI Data CentresChina is preparing to spend around 2 trillion yuan ($295 billion) over the next five years on building data centers across the country
• SecondaryQuartz — China is planning a $295 billion AI data center buildoutA plan now taking shape in Beijing would direct roughly 2 trillion yuan ($295 billion) toward building out AI data centers nationwide over the next five years
• SecondaryGoldman Sachs — Global AI Investment Is Forecast to Exceed $1 Trillion in 2026Each of the cross-checks suggests that AI investment will total around $1 trillion globally and just under $600 billion in the US in 2026.
• SecondaryReuters — Big Tech investors to gauge payoff as AI spending set to hit $600 billion in 2026The four companies are on track to pour around $600 billion into AI this year, a historic outlay that has squeezed cash flows and tested Wall ...