Chinese President Xi Jinping called for broader international cooperation on artificial intelligence in a keynote address at China’s World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 17, marking the first time Xi has personally delivered the summit’s opening remarks.
Xi told the gathering of government officials, executives and researchers that AI development “should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” a comment widely read as a rebuke of Washington’s approach to AI policy and export controls.
The centerpiece of Xi’s address was the formal launch of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), a new 29-nation coalition headquartered in Shanghai. Founding members include Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, South Africa, Senegal, Russia, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, among others. The body is intended to coordinate AI governance and safety standards among member states, with a particular focus on countries in the Global South.
As part of the announcement, Xi pledged 5,000 AI training and seminar opportunities for developing countries over the next five years and said Beijing would deepen AI cooperation with regional blocs including ASEAN, the African Union and BRICS.
The summit comes as the United States tightens export restrictions on advanced chips and AI-related technology to China, a squeeze analysts say is pushing Beijing to court alternative partners and position itself as a low-cost, open alternative to U.S.-led AI infrastructure. WAICO has been described by some observers as China’s answer to Washington’s own AI alliance-building efforts with allied nations.
Xi did not name the United States directly in his remarks but warned against what he called security overreach in AI governance, urging countries to avoid using safety concerns as a pretext for exclusion or containment.
The World AI Conference continues in Shanghai through the week, bringing together technology executives, researchers and policymakers to discuss AI governance, innovation and the shape of future international cooperation on the technology.
— VIRA Broadcasting