Global Times: China sends fresh signal on global AI cooperation at WAIC

"AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation," Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday while addressing the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, stressing that China is ready to be more open, take more practical actions, and assume a more visionary perspective.

We are ready to work with all parties to seize the opportunities of AI development and meet the challenges, and join hands to create a brighter future for humanity, he added. Xi's remarks received positive responses from domestic and foreign enterprises and experts, as they spoke highly of China's scientific and technological achievements in recent years while noting that China's commitment to openness and cooperation can help ensure that the benefits of AI are shared by all humanity and Chinese solutions in AI governance enable other countries to better tackle the common challenges brought about by AI development.

Openness and win-win cooperation Xi presented four observations on AI development and governance in the speech. The Chinese leader called for adhering to the principle of openness and win-win cooperation while boosting innovation-driven development. He highlighted the importance of encouraging open-source, openness, collaboration and sharing to facilitate technological innovation, industrial development and scenario-based application of AI. He also called for strengthening risk-awareness and ensuring that AI is secure and controllable. Stressing the need to ensure that AI is always under human control, Xi urged all sides to jointly oppose overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI or placing one country's security over that of others. Third, he called for encouraging inclusiveness and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. Fourth, he called for advocating solidarity and improving global governance. The important role of the United Nations should be recognized, Xi said, calling for further alignment and coordination on AI development strategies, governance rules and technical standards.

"We must carry out extensive international cooperation and help Global South countries with capacity building to bridge the AI and digital divides, promote sustainable development and prevent creating new historical injustice in AI," he said. In the next five years, China will provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programs, Xi said. He said China will develop international AI application cooperation centers with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS. China will enable 30 countries to use the AI-powered meteorological warning system, or MAZU, to safeguard homes around the world.

"President Xi's remarks underscore China's commitment to advancing global AI governance and technological innovation through opening-up and win-win cooperation, bringing new opportunities for sharing AI dividends and achieving shared prosperity to countries worldwide, especially developing countries," Song Yang, professor of School of Economics and research fellow at the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Friday. China is sending a clear and important message: AI should become a bridge between countries, not a new dividing line, Luigi Gambardella, president of the Brussels-based international digital association ChinaEU, told the Global Times on Friday on the sidelines of the forum. "No country, however technologically advanced, can develop and govern AI alone. China's commitment to openness and cooperation can help ensure that the benefits of AI are shared by all humanity. It can help prevent the fragmentation of technologies, standards an...