Fascinating how fast US-China media sentiment can flip. Western media’s interest in China tech is roaring back thanks to DeepSeek and Manus. Just a few months ago, Chinese companies I talked to desperately wanted to shed the Chinese label. Now some of them are happily leaning into it, billing themselves as the ‘Chinese challenger’ to such and such US counterpart.

They realize if they have a significant presence in China, they can’t hide their origin anyway.

Worried that such attention might provoke a TikTok-like ban? Sure it’s a risk, but they also get free marketing and media attention for a few months — Western journalists are now dying to know the next DeepSeek. As they use this period to test use cases and receive feedback, Chinese founders can simultaneously work on restructuring their companies if they are serious about a US play.