From July 17 to 20, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance was held in Shanghai, China. President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the conference and delivered a keynote address titled “Joining Hands to Build a Just and Equitable System For Global AI Governance”. He pointed out that all countries should take a people-centered approach and develop AI for the positive and for good; all countries should ensure that AI is an important driver for shared prosperity and common security; all countries should join hands to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance, which charted the course for the development and governance of AI worldwide.
Currently, the new wave of AI is thriving, and global technological innovation in AI has entered an exceptionally active phase, profoundly reshaping our way of work and life. To grasp the immense opportunities of AI development and meet its governance challenges head-on, China proposes the following：
We should adhere to the principle of openness and win-win and boost innovation-driven development. From the invention of the steam engine to the widespread access to electricity, from the birth of the Internet to the application of AI, each of these technological revolutions has enabled a giant leap in economic and social development. As an invaluable asset that encapsulates humanity’s collective wisdom, AI represents the convergence of computing power, algorithms, data, and other key enabling factors. Its innovation and breakthroughs depend on the coordinated support of global industrial and innovation ecosystems. Only by embracing openness, win-win cooperation, and mutually beneficial partnerships can we sustain AI innovation, accelerate the expansion of application scenarios, and deliver greater benefits of intelligent technologies to people around the world.
We should strengthen risk-awareness and ensure that AI is secure and controllable. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “Nothing is inherently good or bad; excess turns it into disaster.” The same holds true for AI. If abused or malicious used, AI could pose enormous risks to the world—from deepfakes that erode public trust, to privacy violations and algorithmic bias that fuel social injustice, and even to the dark prospect of AI’s weaponization and militarization. These are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Therefore, we should put in place laws and regulations, technological monitoring, early warning and emergency response systems in order to strengthen the line of security, and ensure that AI is always under human control.
We should encourage inclusiveness and promote mutual learning between civilizations. While countries differ in their histories, cultures, social systems and forms of civilization, all of them deserve respect. AI development and its application should not erode or undermine the diversity of world civilizations or the uniqueness of cultures of different countries. We must shape the values of AI with humanity’s common values, make good use of AI technologies to increase understanding, tolerance, exchanges, and mutual learning among people around the world, and enable AI to serve as a bridge for exchanges among civilizations.
We should advocate solidarity and improve global governance. Whether AI could develop for Good and for All depends on our commitment to true multilateralism and our resolve to reject the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak and the winner takes all. We should recognize the important role of the United Nations, enhance alignment and coordination on AI development strategies, governance rules and technical standards, so as to form a consensus-based global governance framework at an early date to make this frontier technology better benefit humanity.
A single string cannot make music, and a single tree does not make a forest. During this conference, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was officially established. This is a major move by China to answer the call of the Global South and unite the international community together to promote vigorously AI development and governance. President Xi Jinping also announced at the conference that in the next five years, China will provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programs; develop international AI application cooperation centers with 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 BRICS; and enable 30 countries to use the AI-powered meteorological warning system (MAZU). The relevant measures will further support AI development worldwide, with particular emphasis on developing countries.
China and Liberia are both members of the Global South. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development(AAID) find broad convergence in areas such as scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading, digital transformation, and talent development. Liberia Technology Summit 2026 was just concluded, bringing together stakeholders from across various sectors to engage in in-depth deliberations on digital transformation, innovation, AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. China stands ready to join hands with the international community, including Liberia, in upholding true multilateralism and a spirit of openness and inclusiveness, strengthen global governance and international cooperation in AI, and ensure that its development is for the positive, for good and for humanity, so that it can truly become a mighty force that increases the well-being of humanity and advances human civilization.
