As part of his two-day visit to east Zhejiang province, where the two companies are based, Zhang aimed to learn from the two companies about “how enterprises effectively gather innovative resources and stimulate vitality in the field of AI”, according to an original statement released on SASAC’s website on Thursday.
However, an updated version of the statement omitted any mention of DeepSeek. Neither SASAC nor DeepSeek immediately responded to a request for comment.
Zhang also toured research centres and manufacturing facilities belonging to the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group and China Electronics, with a focus on how Internet-of-Things, AI and Big Data technologies enhance these companies’ operations.
He said state-owned enterprises (SOEs) should learn from the agile innovation practices of private firms and improve their employee evaluation systems to prioritise innovation, capability and contribution, according to the SASAC statement.