{"slug": "us-must-innovate-faster-to-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told", "title": "US must innovate faster to counter China’s tech rise, lawmakers told", "summary": "A US congressional hearing on Tuesday urged the United States to accelerate innovation in AI, robotics, and chips to counter China's technological rise, as lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for research cuts that undermine national interests. Witnesses warned that China has overtaken the US in total R&D spending and called for passage of legislation to support critical technologies and supply chains.", "body_md": "# US must innovate faster to counter China’s tech rise, lawmakers told\n\nWitnesses urge investment in AI, robotics and chips, warning US research cuts risk eroding America’s technological edge\n\n[Mark Magnier](/author/mark-magnier)in New York\n\nA US congressional hearing on Tuesday urged the United States to innovate faster, smarter and better to counter China’s growing technological muscle, even as several lawmakers slammed the US President Donald Trump administration for policies they said undercut US national interests.\n\n[summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353778/xi-trump-summit-all-you-need-know-final-day-meeting-beijing?module=inline&pgtype=article)aimed at easing tensions.\n\n“At this very moment, China has overtaken the United States in total R&D spending, while the administration has cancelled or frozen more than 7,800 research grants,” said Kathy Castor, a Democrat from Florida. “Even more concerning, our scientists are leaving our labs and increasingly out of the country.”\n\nLawmakers and witnesses called for passage of several key pieces of legislation aimed at addressing funding, support and guardrails for a range of technologies and supply chains from artificial intelligence and advanced robotics to quantum computing and semiconductors.\n\nBut passage of legislation is hardly a magic bullet if the US does not implement those laws and if it continues to undercut its own strengths, witnesses said.\n\nOver 1,700 AI bills were introduced across America’s 50 states regulating AI, witnesses said, which can lead to a hodgepodge of inconsistent rules and incentives.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-must-innovate-faster-to-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told", "canonical_source": "https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3358957/us-must-innovate-faster-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told?utm_source=rss_feed", "published_at": "2026-06-30 22:37:19+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-30 22:57:25.752299+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "robotics", "ai-chips", "ai-policy", "ai-research"], "entities": ["Kathy Castor", "Donald Trump", "Xi Jinping", "China", "United States", "Congress"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-must-innovate-faster-to-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-must-innovate-faster-to-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-must-innovate-faster-to-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-must-innovate-faster-to-counter-chinas-tech-rise-lawmakers-told.jsonld"}}