Article sparks discussion on Nanjing vs Hangzhou

A provincial government-affiliated newspaper in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, has sparked debate with a series of articles examining why the provincial capital lags behind Hangzhou in the artificial intelligence age, while startups such as DeepSeek and Unitree in Zhejiang's provincial capital garner significant attention.

The two cities are often compared with each other, given that they are both provincial capitals in the Yangtze River Delta and are considered major economic hubs in East China.

The newspaper, Xinhua Daily, published the first installment of a three-part series, "Why Did Deep-Seek Appear in Hangzhou?" on Friday, praising Hangzhou for fostering innovation and providing a strong industrial chain and favorable environment for entrepreneurial teams.