**[Nearly 200 U.S. Startups Send Letter to Trump Urging Not to Ban Chinese Models]** According to a report by Jinse Finance on July 25, nearly 200 Silicon Valley startups, through the newly established "Small Tech Association," jointly sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging the administration not to completely cut off American companies' access to Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models. They warned that such a move could stifle the development of the next generation of U.S. startups. This marks the first time that a highly influential group of Silicon Valley startups has collectively spoken out on one of the Trump administration's most closely watched AI-related issues. The debate centers on whether the U.S. government should restrict American companies from using AI models developed by Chinese firms. The association emphasized that for the U.S. to maintain its leadership in AI, two things are essential: first, leading-edge open-source models developed domestically in the U.S., and second, allowing American developers to continue using existing open models from around the world. The government should implement targeted safeguards rather than broad bans. The association warned that prohibiting Americans from downloading Chinese AI models would not prevent these models from spreading in other markets but would instead weaken the competitiveness of U.S. startups. Many U.S. startups rely on the lower-cost Chinese AI models to develop their products, as they cannot afford the high costs of domestic AI solutions from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI. They fear that if Chinese models are banned, a small number of U.S. AI giants will gain even greater dominance. Earlier, the news website Axios reported that the U.S. government is considering a ban on Chinese AI models in an attempt to counter the threat posed by China's low-cost open-source models and to protect the dominant position of U.S.-based AI companies in the industry.