Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on Friday, where he delivered a keynote address titled “Working Together to Build a Fair and Equitable Global AI Governance Framework.”
Xi said the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, while a new wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing at an unprecedented pace. He noted that rapid breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have created enormous opportunities but also brought significant governance challenges.
He said humanity now faces a number of fundamental questions: How should humans coexist with increasingly intelligent machines? How can security be ensured as algorithms play a greater role in decision-making? How should governance keep pace when technological advances challenge ethical norms? And as the digital divide widens, how can the benefits of AI be shared more equitably?
Xi stressed that all countries should adopt a people-centered, development-oriented approach to ensure that artificial intelligence becomes a driving force for shared prosperity and common security, while working together to establish a fair, reasonable, and inclusive global AI governance system.
To that end, he proposed a four-point framework:
Promote innovation through openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit.
Ensure safe and controllable AI development by strengthening risk awareness and governance.
Advance inclusiveness by encouraging dialogue, mutual learning, and exchanges among civilizations.
Improve global AI governance through greater international solidarity and cooperation.
Xi noted that 2026 marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which will guide the country’s economic and social development over the next five years while creating new opportunities for the international community.
He said China has strengthened scientific and technological innovation in AI by combining an effective market with a proactive government, while actively implementing its “AI Plus” initiative. The country has also fostered a healthy innovation ecosystem that encourages the growth of enterprises across the AI sector.
According to Xi, the core industries of China’s smart economy are now valued at more than one trillion yuan, while “Made in China Intelligent Manufacturing” has become another hallmark of the country’s modernization drive.
The Chinese president added that China is continuously improving its legal, regulatory, institutional, and ethical frameworks for artificial intelligence to ensure that the technology remains safe, reliable, and well-governed.
As a responsible major country, he said, China will continue to provide global public goods in the field of AI and contribute Chinese solutions to the international community.
Xi also announced that, through the joint efforts of participating countries, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) has been established in Shanghai. He described the new organization as China’s positive response to the aspirations of countries in the Global South and a major initiative to strengthen international cooperation on AI development and global governance.
He said the establishment of WAICO would stand as a significant milestone in the history of artificial intelligence development.
Also addressing the opening ceremony were Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The conference also released the Chair’s Declaration of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.
Source: Shishir-Alim-Akash, China Media Group (CMG).