Summary
President Xi Jinping said AI development should be virtuous and benefit humanity in a keynote speech at the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 17. He put forward four proposals: upholding openness and win-win cooperation, strengthening risk awareness, encouraging inclusiveness, and promoting solidarity to build a fair and equitable global AI governance system. Xi announced the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organisation, offering 5,000 AI training slots for developing countries, and setting up international AI application cooperation centres with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and BRICS.
He also said the ‘Mazu’ meteorological intelligent early warning system would be deployed in 30 countries. International observers said the speech demonstrated China’s sincerity in sharing development fruits.
Commentary
Global AI governance is moving towards coordination. China's proposal to establish the World AI Cooperation Organisation and provide 5,000 training slots directly addresses the current North-South digital divide: about 70 percent of core AI patents are concentrated in China and the US, while developing countries face computing power and talent bottlenecks. For New Zealand SMEs in Asia-Pacific supply chains, this initiative is not remote — cooperation centres aimed at regions such as ASEAN could accelerate AI adoption in agritech and disaster warning, areas where NZ has expertise.
This offers a chance for NZ to embed into the regional AI value chain. On the other hand, the risk of governance fragmentation cannot be ignored. The EU imposes strict regulation based on risk tiers, while China advocates balancing development and safety.
Companies with AI tools or data services across multiple markets will need to track mutual recognition standards, making compliance costs a key variable. The rollout of the ‘Mazu’ system in 30 countries signals that climate-resilient infrastructure is becoming a concrete track for AI public procurement in emerging markets — a commercial opportunity worth attention.
Keywords: Xi Jinping, artificial intelligence, global governance, World AI Conference, openness and win-win, risk awareness, inclusiveness, solidarity, developing countries, Mazu
Source: Xinhua Net
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