BEIJING/SHANGHAI – Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 17 urged more equitable global access to artificial intelligence (AI), while hailing the establishment of a new international cooperation organisation in Shanghai as a key milestone in the technology’s development history.

In a 20-minute keynote address at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Xi said that as a responsible major country, China is committed to providing international public goods related to AI.

China is seeking to position itself as a leader in multilateral efforts to govern the technology, and as a more reliable partner in AI development compared with the United States, the other global AI powerhouse.

“We must carry out extensive international cooperation and help Global South countries with capacity building to bridge the AI and digital divides, promote sustainable development, and prevent the creation of new historical injustice in AI,” he added.

Xi said that in the next five years, China will provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programmes as well as develop AI application cooperation centres with ASEAN and other regional groupings, such as BRICS.

This was the Chinese leader’s first appearance at China’s flagship AI event, underlining Beijing’s ambitions to be at the forefront of global governance of the strategic technology at the heart of US-China competition.

In the past two years, Premier Li Qiang, China’s second-ranked leader, had delivered the keynote addresses at the conference, held annually since 2018. In 2025, Li proposed the establishment of a world AI body to promote global governance, based in Shanghai.