Field
Reference Library
Operator-grade cards drawn from From Lab to Life. Each one compresses a chapter-length argument into a single decision tool. Use them in briefings, due diligence, and procurement reviews.
One Argument
These cards assume the same reader: a policy, governance, or strategy professional who needs operational understanding of China's AI ecosystem and does not have time to become a specialist.
Each reference answers one question. Read them in any order. Together they explain how capability, compliance, and distribution became interdependent, and what that means for anyone building on Chinese-origin AI.
The Regulator Stack
The four-agency architecture (CAC, MIIT, MPS, SAMR) that shapes how AI products launch in China. Replace the "faceless state" analogy with a working org chart and a release tempo measured in days.
The Open-Weights Evaluator
A four-dimension diagnostic for Western enterprises considering Qwen, DeepSeek, GLM, or Kimi. Separates generic open-model hygiene from China-elevated structural exposure, and turns exposure into a deployment decision.
Timeline of a Paradigm Shift
Three parallel clocks from 2010 to 2025: Chinese corporate AI launches, US export controls, and the Chinese regulatory stack. Reveals the conditions under which capability, compliance, and distribution became interdependent.
Three tools, one mental model.
Start with Reference 01 if you need to explain Chinese AI governance to a principal who still treats "the state" as one actor. It replaces a Cold War analogy with an org chart.
Use Reference 02 when your team is weighing a specific Chinese open-weight model for a specific use case. It separates universal open-model diligence from China-elevated exposure and produces a defensible deployment decision.
Pull Reference 03 when you need to show, on one page, how fifteen years of Chinese corporate launches, US export controls, and Chinese regulation evolved in the same room. The visual does not prove the thesis. The book does. The visual shows where to look.
From Lab to Life
A mechanism-level operational manual for the world's second-largest AI ecosystem. June 2026.
Built from primary Chinese-language regulatory texts, company filings, and technical documentation. Drawing on the CAC algorithm filing registry, MIIT licensing publications, MPS cybersecurity grading standards, SAMR enforcement decisions, and corporate disclosures from Baidu, Alibaba, ByteDance, Tencent, and DeepSeek.
