ChinAI takes a different approach: it bets on the proposition that for many of these issues, the people with the most knowledge and insight are Chinese people themselves who are sharing their insights in Chinese. Through translating articles and documents from government departments, think tanks, traditional media, and newer forms of “self-media,” etc., ChinAI provides a unique look into the intersection between a country that is changing the world and a technology that is doing the same.
ChinAI might be of interest to you.
China, overrated probably - I'm worried about signs that Chinese research is going stealth in an arms race. On the other hand, all of the samples from things like CogView2 or Pangu or Wudao have generally been underwhelming, and further, Xi seems to be doing his level best to wreck the Chinese high-tech economy and funnel research into shortsighted national-security considerations like better Uighur oppression, so even though they've started concealing exascale-class systems, it may not matter. This will be especially true if Xi really is insane enough to invade Taiwan.
Gwern has some insights in this post. Probably more stuff to be found on his website or twitter feed.
Relatedly, what are the odds that Chinese capabilities advancements are kept secret?
Probability is high that all nations with strong AI research are keeping secrets, since some AI research will naturally go into projects with high secrecy. A better question is what the proportion of published to secret research is in USA, China, etc. It might actually be similar, which could suggest that China is pretty far behind.
It's not a secret that China invests heavily in AI research, yet almost all the new developments discussed publicly originated in the US.
What is the reason for this? Can anyone maybe share interesting insights into what happens in China?