SHANGHAI — Chinese President Xi Jinping took the stage at a major artificial intelligence conference in Shanghai on Friday, calling for countries around the world to work together on AI development and pushing back against restrictions that have cut China off from some of the most cutting-edge technology available.
Xi made clear that no single nation should hold the reins on artificial intelligence. “The development of artificial intelligence should not be a solo performance by any single country but rather a symphony of global cooperation,” he told attendees at China’s annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Leaders from Kazakhstan, Cambodia, and Thailand were present, along with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Xi also repeated a complaint China has raised before, targeting what he described as nations stretching the definition of national security to justify blocking others from technology. “We should together oppose the practice of overstretching the concept of national security in the field of artificial intelligence, and of placing one’s own security above that of other countries,” he said.
The remarks come as restrictions led by the United States have blocked China from obtaining some of the world’s most advanced technologies, pushing China to develop its own capabilities and deepening the technology competition between the two largest economies on the planet.
Xi announced that over the next five years, China will offer 5,000 training opportunities related to artificial intelligence for developing nations. He also said China would expand AI cooperation with several major international organizations and blocs, including 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 the BRICS countries. Additionally, he pledged to give 30 countries access to a Chinese-developed AI weather system capable of providing early warnings for dangerous conditions.
Just one day before Xi’s speech, 29 countries — among them Pakistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan — signed an agreement with China to create a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. According to Chinese state media, the new body will be an intergovernmental organization based in Shanghai focused on promoting global AI governance.
This year’s conference drew more than 1,100 companies and 1,400 guests, state media reported. Tech giant Huawei is using the event to show off its powerful AI computing system, known as the Atlas 950 SuperPoD.
Some analysts who follow the technology sector now believe China has moved beyond simply trying to catch up with the United States and has become a genuine innovator in artificial intelligence. China’s five-year plan through 2030 places AI among its top priorities in science and technology advancement.
Chinese open-source AI models, such as DeepSeek, have gained attention globally as attractive and often more affordable alternatives to U.S. AI models, which are typically closed-source. They have found particular appeal in developing countries.
