Xi Jinping calls for global cooperation in AI development, announces aid to developing nations

Chinese President Xi Jinping stated on Friday that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) should be a collaborative global effort rather than the pursuit of a single country. Speaking at the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi emphasised that AI advancements must be guided by human wisdom and international consensus to ensure positive outcomes for humanity.

To support AI development in the next five years, China plans to provide developing countries—including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Arab League, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the African Union, Latin American nations, and BRICS countries—with 5,000 AI research projects, training and seminar programmes, and cooperation centres, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Earlier, 29 countries signed an agreement in Shanghai to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), an independent intergovernmental international organisation headquartered in Shanghai, as reported by state-run Xinhua news agency. Founding members include Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia, Indonesia, and China, among others. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the signing ceremony. The organisation is pledged to uphold the purposes of the UN Charter and adhere to a people-centred approach.

China has made AI a national strategic priority, aiming to become a global AI innovation hub through heavy government investment in research, computing infrastructure, semiconductor development, and talent cultivation. The country has also emerged as the world's largest producer and exporter of electric vehicles. Analysts note that China's progress in AI, electric vehicles, and battery technology reflects a shift from a manufacturing hub to a major technological innovator, even as it faces competition from the US, EU, South Korea, Japan, and American export controls on advanced AI chips.