i
Our call to publish in our next issue is now open!
The Revista de Derecho Económico invites the academic community, both national and international, to send their articles to our website, in the "Send article" section. The article must comply the rules indicated in the "Submissions" section.
The call is open untill October 15, 2025.
Artificial intelligence Governance in China: regulation that encourages innovation
Authors
-
Beatriz Juárez Aguilar
INFOTEC
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1725-7692
Download
Abstract
In Latin America, a constant question in legal studies on artificial intelligence is how to regulate it without stifling its innovation. Since 2022, China has been regulating it with binding specific laws and is a global leader in the field. How has it achieved this? How has it approached its public policies and legal framework? What has it prioritized? With official sources in Chinese and a multidisciplinary perspective, this article fills a gap by analyzing public policies and legal instruments of the People's Republic of China from 2017 to May 2025. It will reveal that within the digital economy, China first established strong foundations with expansive public policies and then, through restrictive legal instruments, corrected the indiscriminate use of artificial intelligence to protect user rights, promote social and political stability, and strengthen the economy. The Chinese experience shows that after comprehensive and continuous support for the development of artificial intelligence, its regulation —even the most restrictive— does not halt innovation; rather, it can even promote it. This analysis enriches Latin American studies on law and artificial intelligence by presenting a first approach to the Chinese case, revealing its regulatory processes and the encouragement of technological development. Furthermore, it nuances and reevaluates the relationship between law and innovation by demonstrating that an effective expansive framework allows for regulation without stifling innovation. The growing global relevance of China in this area makes it urgent to delve deeper into its study from our region, with our own questions and circumstances.
Keywords:
China , Artificial Intelligence , artificial intelligence governance , artificial intelligence regulation , Digital EconomyReferences
* Bell, Daniel A. (2015). The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
* Bureau of Industry and Security (2022). «Commerce implements new export controls on advanced computing and semiconductor manufacturing items to the People’s Republic of China (PRC)». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_59.
—. (2023). «Commerce strengthens restrictions on advanced computing semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and supercomputing items to countries of concern». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_59.
* Cáceres, Jorge (2024). «¿Sueñan las máquinas con contratar?». Revista de Derecho Privado, 46 (1): 155-185. DOI: 10.18601/01234366.46.07.
* Capdeferro, Óscar y Juli Ponce (2022). «Nudging e inteligencia artificial contra la corrupción en el sector público». Revista Digital de Derecho Administrativo, 28 (2): 225-258. DOI: 10.18601/21452946.n28.08.
* Chávez, Ana (2022). «Entre el derecho y los sistemas creativos: una nueva dimensión del diseño de moda por medio de la inteligencia artificial». Revista de Derecho Privado, 43 (2): 353-386. DOI: 10.18601/01234366.43.14.
* Chinese AI Safety Network (2025). «Chinese AI Safety Network». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4A.
* Comisión Nacional de Desarrollo y Reforma, Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, Ministerio de Industria y Tecnologías de la Información y Administración del Ciberespacio de China (2016). «Plan de Acción Trienal Internet + Inteligencia Artificial». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5B.
* Creemers, Rogier (2022). «China’s emerging data protection framework». Journal of Cybersecurity, 8 (1): 1-12. DOI: 10.1093/cybsec/tyac011.
* Creemers, Rogier, Johanna Costigan, Paul Triolo, Tom Nunlist, Lauren Dudley, Mei Danowski, Martin Chorzempa, Karman Lucero y *Seaton Huang (2023). «Is China’s Tech ‘Crackdown’ or ‘Rectification’ Over?». DigiChina. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4D.
* Department of Commerce y Bureau of Industry and Security (2018). «Review of Controls for Certain Emerging Technologies». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5H.
* Department of the Treasury (2023). «Fact sheet: President Biden issues executive order addressing United States investments in certain national security technologies and products in countries of concern». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5I.
—. (2024). «Additional Information on Final Regulations Implementing Outbound Investment Executive Order (E.O. 14105)». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5L.
* Drinhausen Katja y Helena Legarda (2022). «‘Comprehensive national security’ unleashed: How Xi’s approach shapes China’s policies at home and abroad». Merics: 1-23. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4E.
* Dube, Saurabh (2002). «Introduction: Enchantments of Modernity». The South Atlantic Quarterly, 101 (4): 729-755. DOI: 10.1215/00382876-101-4-729.
* Edelman Trust Institute (2024). 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer with key insights around AI. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4F.
* Fierro, Diego (2024). «Gobernanza y Reglamento de Inteligencia Artificial desde la primera óptica de OpenAI». Derecho & Sociedad, 63: 243-258. DOI: 10.18800/dys.202402.016.
* Ghai, Yash y Sophia Woodman (2009). «Unused Powers: Contestation over Autonomy Legislation in the PRC». Pacific Affairs, 82 (1): 29-46. DOI: 10.5509/200982129.
* Gibney, Elizabeth (2025a). «China’s cheap, open AI model DeepSeek thrills scientists». Nature, 638 (8049): 13-14. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-025-00229-6.
—. (2025b). «Secrets of DeepSeek AI model revealed in landmark paper». Nature. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-025-03015-6.
* Hitchens, Theresa (2023). «‘Game on’: Raimondo calls for beefing up tech». Breaking Defense. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4M.
* Huawei Technologies Co., (2023). Artificial Intelligence Technology. Hangzhou: Springer Posts & Telecom Press.
* Juárez, Beatriz (2024). «En un abrir y cerrar de datos: El proceso de apertura de datos gubernamentales en China». En Paulina Lagunes y Ana Bello (coordinadoras), Tópicos selectos de derecho digital. Ciudad de México: Infotec.
—. (2025). «Inteligencia artificial industrial en China». En Arturo Oropeza y Fernando Negrete (coordinadores), Inteligencia Artificial, hacia una nueva era en la historia de la humanidad. Ciudad de México: Inadi.
* Mao, Yishu y Kristin Shi-Kupfer (2021). «Online public discourse on artificial intelligence and ethics in China: context, content, and implications». AI & Society, 38: 373-389. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-021-01309-7.
* Masís, Jonathan (2022). «La inteligencia artificial y el Derecho hoy». Revista de La Facultad de Derecho de México, 72 (283): 271-294. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5N.
* Maslej, Nestor, Loredana Fattorini, Raymond Perrault, Vanessa Parli, Anka Reuel, Erik Brynjolfsson, John Etchemendy, Katrina Ligett, Terah Lyons, James Manyika, Juan Carlos Niebles, Yoav Shoham, Russell Wald y Jack Clark (2024). «The AI Index 2024 Annual Report». Institute for Human-Centered AI, Stanford University.
* Maslej Nestor, Loredana Fattorini, Raymond Perrault, Yolanda Gil, Vanessa Parli, Njenga Kariuki, Emily Capstick, Anka Reuel, Erik Brynjolfsson, John Etchemendy, Katrina Ligett, Terah Lyons, James Manyika, Juan Carlos Niebles, Yoav Shoham, Russell Wald, Tobi Walsh, Armin Hamrah, Lapo Santarlasci, Julia Betts Lotufo, Alexandra Rome, Andrew Shi y Sukrut Oak (2025). «The AI Index 2025 Annual Report». Institute for Human-Centered AI, Stanford University.
* MIIT, Ministerio de Industria y Tecnologías de la Información (2017a). «Plan de acción trienal para impulsar el desarrollo de la industria de la nueva generación de inteligencia artificial (2018-2020)». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5W.
—. (2017b). «Interpretación del Plan de Acción Trienal para el impulso del desarrollo de la industria de nueva generación de inteligencia artificial (2018-2020)». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5Z.
—. (2018). «Interpretación del plan de trabajo para la presentación de tareas clave para la innovación de la industria de la nueva generación de inteligencia artificial». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5V.
—. (2019). «Desarrollo de una IA responsable: Principios para la gobernanza de la nueva generación de inteligencia artificial». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5Q.
—. (2024). «Lineamientos para la construcción de un sistema integral de estandarización de la industria nacional de inteligencia artificial». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5U.
* National Counterintelligence and Security Center (2021). «Protecting critical and emerging U.S. technologies from foreign threats». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5g.
* Naughton, Barry (2021). The rise of China’s industrial policy, 1978-2020. Ciudad de México: UNAM.
* Naughton, Barry, Siwen Xiao y Yaosheng Xu (2023). «The Trajectory of China’s Industrial Policies». UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation-Working Paper, 6: 1-34. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4S.
* Roberts, Huw, Josh Cowls, Jessica Morley, Mariarosaria Taddeo, Vincent Wang y Luciano Floridi (2021). «The Chinese approach to artificial intelligence: an analysis of policy, ethics, and regulation». AI & Society, 36: 59-77. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-020-00992-2.
* Sheehan, Matt (2024). «Tracing the Roots of China’s AI Regulations». Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: 1-39. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4W.
* Silva Peres, Ricardo, Xiaodong Jia, Jay Lee, Keyi Sun, Armando Walter Colombo y José Barata (2020). «Industrial Artificial Intelligence in Industry 4.0 – Systematic Review, Challenges and Outlook». IEEE Access, 8: 220121-220139. DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3042874.
* The Economist Intelligence Unit (2025). «Democracy Index 2024». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4Y.
* Triolo, Paul (2024). «The Evolution of China’s Semiconductor Industry under U.S. Export Controls». American Affairs Journal. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4b.
—. (2025a). «The DeepSeek Effect: AI ecosystem on fire». AIStackDecrypted. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4g.
—. (2025b). «China set to lead global effort on AI safety?». AIStackDecrypted. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4h.
* U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (2017). «The 13th Five-Year Plan». Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4n.
* Webster, Graham, Rogier Creemers, Elsa Kania y Paul Triolo (2017). «Full Translation: China’s ‘New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan’». DigiChina. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4p.
* Xu, Chenggang (2011). «The Fundamental Institutions of China’s Reforms and Development». Journal of Economic Literature, 49 (4): 1076-1151. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4u.
* Zabala, Tatiana, (2021). «La ética en inteligencia artificial desde la perspectiva del derecho». Via Inveniendi et Iudicandi, 16 (2): 1-28. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_5m.
* Zenglein Max J. y Anna Holzmann (2019). «Evolving Made in China 2025, China’s industrial policy in the quest for global tech leadership». Merics Papers on China, 8: 1-90. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4v.
* Zhang, Angela (2025). «The Promise and Perils of China’s Regulation of Artificial Intelligence». Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 63 (1): 1-56. Disponible en https://tipg.link/l_4x.
