President Xi Jinping called for global cooperation and openness in artificial intelligence during his first keynote at the World AI Conference in Shanghai on Friday [1].
The address comes as China seeks to position itself as a leader for the Global South while facing increasing technology restrictions from the U.S. [2]. By promoting an open-source ecosystem, Beijing aims to counter the impact of these restrictions and build a collaborative network of partners [2].
Xi said that AI should not be dominated by one country [3]. He said that China would seize the "rare historic opportunity" of AI-driven growth by "encouraging open source, openness, collaboration and sharing" [1].
To support this vision of capacity building, the Chinese government pledged 5,000 training opportunities for developing nations [4]. This initiative is part of a broader effort to integrate more countries into China's technological sphere of influence.
As part of this strategy, 29 nations have joined a new AI alliance led by China [5]. This alliance is intended to reshape how artificial intelligence is developed and governed on a global scale, moving away from a model centered on a few superpowers [5].
The conference in Shanghai served as a platform for Xi to present China as a proponent of shared technological progress. The move signals a shift toward aggressive diplomacy in the tech sector—leveraging open-source promises to attract partners who feel sidelined by Western tech monopolies [2].
“AI should not be dominated by one country.”
Xi's emphasis on 'openness' and the creation of a 29-nation alliance represent a strategic attempt to bypass U.S. chip and software restrictions. By offering tangible benefits like training and open-source access to the Global South, China is attempting to build a parallel AI ecosystem that reduces its dependence on Western technology while establishing its own global standards for AI governance.
