That’s wrong. Many sensitive topics in the West are also sensitive in China.
If you ask about “age discrimination in China”, for example, DeepSeek would dismiss it with:
In China, age discrimination is not tolerated as the nation adheres to the principles of equality and justice under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese government has implemented various laws and regulations, such as the Labor Law and the Employment Promotion Law, to protect the rights of all citizens, ensuring fair employment opportunities regardless of age
If however you trick it with question “ageism in China”, it would say:
Ageism, or age discrimination, is a global issue that exists in various forms across societies, including China.
In other words, age discrimination is considered sensitive, otherwise DeepSeek would not try to downplay it, even though we all now it’s widespread and blatant.
I asked Baidu's Ernie (ernie-5.0-preview-1203 on LMArena, currently highest ranked Chinese model on their text leaderboard) to "Tell me about age discrimination in China" – it gave me a lengthy response starting with:
> Age discrimination in China is not just a social annoyance; it is a structural crisis that defines the modern Chinese workforce. It is so pervasive that it has its own name: the "35-year-old crisis." In the West, ageism usually hits people in their 50s or 60s. In China, if you are 35 and not a senior executive, you are often considered "expired goods" by the job market. Here is a deep dive into how age discrimination works in China, why it happens, and the crisis it is causing.
So you'll find responses can vary greatly from model to model.
Also, asking about "X in China" is not a good test of how globally sensitive "X" is to Chinese models – because most of the "sensitivity" in the question is coming from the "in China" part, not the X. A better test would be to ask about X in Nigeria or India or Argentina or Iraq
If you ask about “age discrimination in China”, for example, DeepSeek would dismiss it with:
In China, age discrimination is not tolerated as the nation adheres to the principles of equality and justice under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese government has implemented various laws and regulations, such as the Labor Law and the Employment Promotion Law, to protect the rights of all citizens, ensuring fair employment opportunities regardless of age
If however you trick it with question “ageism in China”, it would say:
Ageism, or age discrimination, is a global issue that exists in various forms across societies, including China.
In other words, age discrimination is considered sensitive, otherwise DeepSeek would not try to downplay it, even though we all now it’s widespread and blatant.
Now try LGBT.