DeepSeek Photo: VCG

The US Commerce Department reportedly has informed staffers in recent weeks that the Chinese AI model DeepSeek is banned on their government devices. When asked for comment, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that China opposes overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing trade and tech issues. We will firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

Chinese expert said that since DeepSeek is an open-source model, banning it, if implemented, would be more symbolic than practical.

US Commerce department bureaus informed staffers in recent weeks that DeepSeek is banned on their government devices, Reuters reported, citing a message it received and two people familiar with the matter. The message claimed that the move is "to help keep Department of Commerce information systems safe."

The Reuters report also noted that it "could not immediately determine the extent of the ban throughout the US government."

The Global Times sent an email to the US Department of Commerce to confirm the report, but as of press time on Tuesday, the department had not provided a comment. 

If the move is taken eventually, it would not be a surprise, as the US government has been considering a ban on DeepSeek, with some American companies lobbying for such a move, Li Baiyang, an associate professor of intelligence studies at Nanjing University, told the Global Times. However, since DeepSeek is an open-source model, banning it would be more symbolic than practical, he said.

On March 7, Reuters reported that the Trump administration "is weighing a ban" on DeepSeek from US government devices over so-called "national-security concerns," cited a person familiar with the matter.

DeepSeek is an open-source model and remains committed to technology sharing and this benefits developers in the US and countries worldwide, making a complete ban nearly impossible, Li said. 

"Ironically, DeepSeek indirectly supports American companies that advocate for open source. DeepSeek is part of a vast open-source ecosystem online. Would the US ban everything built on DeepSeek?" Li asked. 

Whether the US is still deliberating or has already taken actions, the media reports indicated it has deep anxiety over China's AI advancements. With DeepSeek as a typical example, Chinese AI enterprises have triggered significant unease among US companies and policymakers, said the expert. 

In addition to a potential ban on DeepSeek, some US lawmakers are reportedly mulling other measures. GeekWire, a US technology news website, reported on Monday that Senator Maria Cantwell is pushing for "technology NATO" to counter China.

"We believe that innovation matters more than the tariffs in a fight [on] who's going to win in aerospace or agriculture or software or any of these issues," Cantwell claimed. "It is like we are in this horse race, but the president wants to put 25 pounds on our horse and make it harder."

Cantwell proposed that the five countries, such as the US, India and Japan, "could agree to rules on enforcing privacy and eliminating government backdoors in products." She claimed that "No one in the world should buy technology from companies that do not meet those standards… there would be a very large world community countering China, instead of us spending taxpayer dollars to rip out Huawei," according to GeekWire. 

The idea of a "technology NATO" seems more like hype, as such cooperation appears unrealistic. Take AI as an example, many countries, including the UK and France are actively developing their own sovereign AI models and products, prioritizing independent growth over deep collaboration with allies, said Li. 

A Chinese expert told the Global Times that he noticed that Cantwell's opposition to the tariff war, however, her push for a "Technology NATO" fundamentally serves the purpose of "countering China" and hyping "China threat" rhetoric.

Such rhetoric highlights how certain individuals within Washington's political circle are increasingly clinging to outdated anti-China mindset while attempting to create eye-catching new vocabulary, the expert said.

With technological advancements, particularly AI's inherently open-source nature, any attempts to restrict or suppress technologies progress are unlikely to succeed and may even backfire, said Li.