Editor's note: Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News Agency, CGTN, Global Times, China Daily, etc. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Narratives on job losses and cut-throat artificial-intelligence competition have been woven into stories of "China Shock" and turned into ammunition against China.

What these fear-mongering stories typically do is to turn a blind eye to what China has actually done for its own people and the world at large.

Numbers tell

The often-cited China menace in the United States is massive job losses. The fact is, the total number of jobs in the United States remains largely stable and, more surprisingly, has even crept up, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

On average, each region has seen a net employment gain of 1.27 percent from trade with China, according to research from the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research. Its analysis shows that job losses in some manufacturing areas have been mostly offset by job gains elsewhere, as demand and job growth are fueled by less costly Chinese imports that have lowered costs for businesses and consumers.

Cost-effective goods from China also contribute to developed countries' transition to advanced manufacturing. Instead of complaining about competition from China, the United States should focus on bolstering its high-end production, as AI is on course to nibble away at lower-end jobs.

Catfish effect

While some are crying out loud about the "threat" of a China Shock 2.0, what has actually shocked them to the core is China's open, constructive, and cooperative stance on cutting-edge technology: Unlike the West, China shares its technology with all.

Unlike closed-source American models, open-source models from DeepSeek and other Chinese AI companies offer computer programmers and researchers worldwide advanced capabilities at lower costs to improve their own AI toolbox. It lowers the barrier for global companies – startups and incumbents alike – to access advanced AI capabilities.

China also calls for setting up the World AI Cooperation Organization to act on the relevant UN General Assembly resolution and set Global South countries on a faster track to foster their own AI ecosystems. For developed countries, China's AI boom could be seen as a propellant to a race to the top, like putting a catfish among a school of sardines. American tech giants once spurred the stellar growth of Chinese companies. Today, firms from other countries may take a page from China's success.

Going green

Another "shock" from China is how it has, consistently and relentlessly, pursued its climate goals over the past several decades.

China achieved its 2030 target – 1.2 terawatts of capacity, set in 2020 – six years ahead of schedule, including the deployment of 80 gigawatts of wind capacity and 277 gigawatts of solar capacity, according to the National Energy Administration.

Zoom out and look at the rest of the world. A "green wall" in Nigerian states bordering the Sahara Desert is being built by a China-assisted project as part of the African Union-led Great Green Wall Initiative. China's irrigation technology is slowing the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Solar-wafer projects in Mexico built by Chinese companies are making green energy more affordable for local communities.

In 2022, China produced nearly 90 percent of the world's solar wafers and solar cells. Its electric vehicles offer a cost-effective alternative to gas-guzzling clunkers. China's bold decarbonization actions stand in sharp contrast to the United States' repeated withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and its "Big Beautiful Bill," which risks undermining global green-energy initiatives.

In the twenty-first century, a rising China has achieved the once-impossible: sustained economic growth, affordable products, open-source AI models, and a greener world.

Rather than chanting "China Shock," the world should seize the China opportunity, join hands in a global endeavor toward a community with a shared future for humanity, and thus shock the entire global community – in a good way.

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