Trump’s White House lobbies Asian countries to reject Europe’s ‘fear and over-regulation’ of AI

The Trump administration is encouraging Asian nations to reject Europe’s strict AI regulations, according to reports. The U.S. campaign to get Asian countries to reject EU and Chinese AI models involves an innovation-based approach with tech packages arranged for each country’s needs. 

The Trump administration has launched a diplomatic and commercial push across Asia, encouraging countries in the region to reject what it has called Europe’s “model of fear and over-regulation.”

U.S. rallies Asian nations against the EU’s AI regulation

Michael Kratsios, the White House’s technology adviser and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, passed this message while addressing regional officials and business executives during a visit to South Korea on Tuesday.

Kratsios warned that this model will restrict innovation and slow down progress in an important area of technological advancement. He urged Asian governments to develop independent regulatory approaches suitable for their local contexts, instead of importing European rules.

He also used the opportunity to push against calls for worldwide oversight of AI, especially those coming from China.

This stance directly counters recent comments made by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who pushed for the formation of a global AI governance body at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.

The race to lead the AI era

The White House is offering monetary support to countries willing to align with its AI vision. Kratsios said that the U.S. will begin to offer financing options to help countries acquire and deploy a full stack of American technology packages, which will be tailored to individual nations. This strategy promotes products made in America and places the U.S. as a counterbalance to China’s increasing tech influence in Asia.

Beijing has been pushing its AI outreach in recent times, promoting language models developed by local companies like Alibaba and DeepSeek. The country has also been exporting low-cost AI-driven products to developing markets, presenting China as a willing partner to share the benefits of its AI development in the process. This is especially attractive to countries seeking affordable technological solutions.

The U.S. hopes to downplay that momentum by pointing out the risks of depending on Chinese tech while also providing an irresistible alternative. Kratsios’s appeal is based on his previous experience as the U.S. government’s chief technology officer, during which he took part in global efforts to convince countries to remove Huawei from important infrastructure.