A growing narrative in the political circle of the United States suggests that Beijing is behind the mounting local opposition to AI data centers nationwide. The evidence? None, beyond the unsubstantiated notion that communities “giving us trouble” must somehow be acting at China’s behest.

The episode exposes an unsettling feature of today’s US political discourse: allegations against China need not be substantiated to shape public perceptions. Even though the perceptions might be proved wrong. Fox News recently issued a rare on-air apology after one of its regular guests, Canadian investor Kevin O’Leary, alleged that Chinese money was funding anti-data-center groups in Utah. O’Leary later admitted he had no evidence. Local organizations rejected the accusations outright.

The release of China’s Kimi K3 model reinforced a growing realization that the US’ dominance in AI is no longer assured. Casting China as a malign actor is politically easier than confronting an increasingly competitive technological rival. Yet while some in Washington try to curb China’s AI industry, they are quietly acknowledging its prospects.

On Tuesday, senior US officials met executives from multiple US........

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