A CNBC op-ed argues that the U.S. lead over China in artificial intelligence (AI) is 'all but gone.' The analysis suggests China has cultivated a robust frontier AI ecosystem, repeatedly producing world-class capabilities across multiple firms like DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, and Tencent. It posits that the U.S. has underestimated China's long-term technological advancement, which focuses on an integrated 'ecosystem statecraft' rather than individual company breakthroughs.