From July 17 to 20, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance were held in Shanghai, China. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote address. Official representatives from more than 100 countries and international organisations, along with participants from academia, industry, and research institutions, attended the conference. During the event, 29 countries signed an agreement to officially establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), marking a landmark achievement in global AI governance.

 

China's vision leads global AI governance

 

President Xi noted that the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing at a faster pace, and the world has entered an unprecedented period of active innovation on AI technologies. All this carries within it great opportunities as well as challenges to governance. All countries should take a people-centered approach and develop AI for the positive and for good. It is vital to ensure that AI is an important driver for shared prosperity and common security. The world needs to join hands to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance. President Xi shared four observations to this end, stressing the need to adhere to the principle of openness and win-win and boost innovation-driven development, strengthen risk-awareness and ensure that AI is secure and controllable, encourage inclusiveness and promote mutual learning between civilisations, and advocate solidarity and improve global governance. 

 

China's proposals reflect the shared aspirations of the international community

 

China encourages open source, openness, collaboration and sharing of AI technologies, so that all sectors and businesses can benefit from AI. AI should be a trusted tool for humanity, and should be always under human control. AI development and its application should not erode or undermine the diversity of world civilisations or the uniqueness of cultures of different countries. Efforts should also be made to bridge the AI and digital divides, promote sustainable development, and prevent creating new historical injustice in AI.

 

China's technology drives innovation

 

In recent years, China has identified AI as a key engine for fostering new quality productive forces and promoting high-quality development. China's 15th Five-Year Plan proposes the full implementation of the AI Plus Initiative. China has become the world's largest holder of AI patents, accounting for 60 per cent of the global total. Leveraging its vast application scenarios, China has accelerated the deep integration of AI with economic and social development, with manufacturing serving as a key sector for AI deployment. AI has already been integrated into more than 70 per cent of business scenarios in China's lighthouse factories. From smart manufacturing and digital agriculture to intelligent healthcare and smart ports, AI is revitalising thousands of industries across China.

 

China's development creates opportunities for the world

 

The cumulative downloads of China's open-source large language models have surpassed 10 billion, creating enormous opportunities for global cooperation in AI innovation. China is both an advocate and a practitioner of global AI governance, committed to ensuring that the benefits of intelligent technologies are shared more broadly and equitably among all nations. Since President Xi proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, China has launched to establish the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity Building, announced the AI Plus International Cooperation Initiative, published Global AI Governance Action Plan, and advocated for establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation. During the conference, 29 countries including China, Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Algeria and Oman became founding members of the WAICO. As the world's first intergovernmental international organization dedicated to artificial intelligence, WAICO is a major move by China to answer the call of the Global South and unite the international community together to promote AI development and governance. It marks a significant milestone in the history of AI development.

 

President Xi emphasised that AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation. China announced that, in the next five years, China will provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programmes; China will develop international AI application cooperation centers with the League of Arab States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and BRICS.

 

Both China and Jordan are members of the Global South. China's 15th Five-Year Plan and Jordan's Economic Modernization Vision are highly complementary in areas such as digital transformation, technological innovation, and talent development. China stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Jordan in artificial intelligence, making AI a new engine of growth for the China-Jordan strategic partnership. China is also willing to deepen coordination with Jordan on strategy, rules and standards, jointly advance global AI governance, to make sure that this fine steed of AI gallops with both speed and stability, and ensure that the benefits of AI development are shared more widely by people around the world.

 

The author is Chinese ambassador to Jordan