They have a strong incentive to make themselves look less incompetent retroactively.

If they claim their AI is too powerful to contain, they get to both pretend they are among the best AI labs and that the previous incidents weren't their fault, no, they just proved how good their models were.

It's also a great way to make the government scared of Chinese AI. Get them taken out of the picture so that you don't have to compete!

It’s both at the same time: a powerful, uniquely dangerous threat

only they can restrain it (with great effort)

Like a circus lion tamer, exaggerating every snarl and flash of teeth, mugging for the crowd about how only he can contain the bloodthirsty beast he bred and trains.