Recently, DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, shocked the world with its release of two large language models (LLMs). These models can seamlessly understand, translate, and generate texts in dozens of languages, breaking down language barriers and enabling global communication like never before. Genuinely intrigued, I threw a task to DeepSeek in Chinese, to describe the features of China-Rwanda economic cooperation in Kinyarwanda. Surprisingly, a detailed, comprehensive answer was given in a few seconds. The summary included gukorera hamwe mu guteza imbere ibikorwa remezo (infrastructure-driven collaboration), kwiyongera kw'ubucuruzi no gukoresha ubucuruzi bw'ikoranabuhanga bugezweho (trade expansion and e-commerce innovation), guhuza intego mu bikorwa by'ubutwererane (strategic alignment with multilateral frameworks), etc. Quite impressive, I have to say. It’s expected the breakthrough will not only revolutionize international business and industries, but also inspire global collaboration and innovation, cementing DeepSeek’s status as a trailblazer in the AI revolution. On the one hand, DeepSeek is widely sought after by individual users. DeepSeek’s mobile and desktop applications have consistently got high ratings, averaging 4.8/5 stars across platforms like Google Play and the Apple App Store. A viral tweet showcasing how DeepSeek helped a freelance writer optimize their workflow garnered over 10,000 retweets and 25,000 likes within 48 hours. A popular video titled How DeepSeek Boosted My Productivity by 200% has over 500,000 views and thousands of comments from viewers sharing their own positive experiences. On the other hand, it has promoted equal rights in science and technology as it makes AI affordable for all countries. In just half a month, DeepSeek received wide recognition both domestically and abroad. Various Chinese online platforms have completed its integration with DeepSeek, enabling the access of over one billion people to its open-sourced model. Numerous European start-ups announced the integration of DeepSeek into their products. American tech companies including NVIDIA, Amazon and Microsoft announced their use of DeepSeek on the same day, which showcased their confidence in the reliability of the application. Microsoft openly stated that DeepSeek-R1 has passed the rigorous testing and security assessment. According to the Chief Scientist of Hugging Face, up to now, there are at least 670 models built by application developers using DeepSeek-R1. The British media Financial Times commended DeepSeek for sharing its core technologies with the public, as it manifests the open attitude of Chinese AI companies and helps build an innovation ecosystem. The success of DeepSeek derives from the progress of China’s scientific and technological innovation. In recent years, China has successively introduced policies such as the New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Development Plan and the Guidelines for the Construction of Comprehensive Standardization System of National Artificial Intelligence Industry. Currently, China has 500,000 computer science graduates each year, and among them more than 100,000 major in AI, which provides a strong talent pipeline. According to the Report on Global Innovation Index in 2024 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China ranked second in the world in the total amount of R&D funds, and was laurelled the world's quadruple champion in the number of international patent applications, the number of the top 100 science and tech clusters, the total number of R&D personnel and the number of publications on the most influential journals in various disciplines. The success of DeepSeek epitomizes the development of artificial intelligence in China. Its unstoppable evolution cannot be contained by external technological blockade. In the past years, the US authorities have been upgrading restrictions on export of semiconductors and manufacturing equipment to China, but building “small yard and high fence” doesn’t work on China. We have never been deterred. The Chinese nation believes in self-reliance. The truth is, China catches up with and even surpasses the United States through its own innovation. Known as the Six Little Dragons, in addition to DeepSeek and DeepRobotics, other four emerging companies based in Hangzhou city of Zhejiang Province include Unitree, one of the world's leading humanoid robot companies, which accounts for 70% of the global robot dog market; BrainCo, a unicorn company focused on brain-computer interface; Qunhe Technology, an AI design software manufacturer; and Game Science, a famous game developer in China. However, Hangzhou is just one of the Chinese cities embracing tech leap. Companies in many other cities have also accomplished various innovation and progress. Emerging technologies, such as AI, should be leveraged for common good. Rwanda, a country with sound development of AI, has positioned itself as a leading innovation center and AI center in Africa. The development of AI in China, with its mission to benefit the world, will also generate opportunities for Rwanda. As Minister of ICT and Innovations of Rwanda, Paula Ingabire said at the 2025 Paris AI Action Summit, Rwanda aims to harness the potential of AI in healthcare, agriculture, and public services. She also noted that Rwanda has been working with the private sector especially startups to develop a Kinyarwanda language model to enable seamless AI accessibility. These comments highly coincide with the LLMs of DeepSeek Looking into the future, I see it holds enormous potentials for AI cooperation between the two countries. Last year, the Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027) of FOCAC clearly pointed out that China and Africa will strengthen cooperation in AI capacity building. China is willing to share its experiences and stands ready to work with Rwanda, in the hope of further deepening China-Rwanda comprehensive strategic partnership and promoting the building of a high-level China-Africa Community with a shared future. The writer is the Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda
