A bombshell from Shanghai: Xi Jinping reveals China’s strategy for global AI dominance in his latest speech
With a keynote address, Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on July 17, 2026. It was his first personal appearance at the world’s most important AI conference. Before representatives from more than 100 countries, international organizations, academia, and industry, Xi presented China’s long-term vision for the development and global governance of artificial intelligence.
The speech made it clear: For Beijing, AI is no longer just a technological issue, but a key geopolitical and economic technology that will help shape the international order in the future.
AI as the next industrial revolution
Xi Jinping placed the development of artificial intelligence on a par with the steam engine, electrification, and the internet. Each of these technologies, he said, had fundamentally changed humanity. Now, the world is entering a new phase of rapid innovation, in which intelligent networking, human-machine collaboration, and AI applications will transform all sectors of the economy.
At the same time, he emphasized that this development not only opens up enormous opportunities but also raises entirely new questions: How do humans live with thinking machines? How can an algorithm remain controllable? And how can we prevent AI from creating new global inequalities?
Four basic principles for China’s AI policy
Xi presented four guiding principles as the focus of his speech.
First, the world should embrace openness, open source, and international collaboration. AI is to benefit all industries and should not be developed in isolated technological silos. Innovation and economic progress should be driven jointly.
Secondly, AI is to remain safe and controllable at all times. Xi called for laws, technical oversight, early warning systems, and emergency mechanisms to prevent misuse. At the same time, he warned against over-expanding the concept of national security or prioritizing the security of individual states over that of others – a phrase widely interpreted as indirect criticism of American export restrictions on AI technologies.
Thirdly, Xi advocated for cultural diversity. AI should neither displace national cultures nor undermine the independence of different civilizations. Rather, it should promote understanding, exchange, and cooperation.
Fourth, he advocated for a new global AI governance framework involving the United Nations. International standards and rules need to be developed jointly to ensure that AI benefits all of humanity and does not create new historical injustices. Xi placed particular emphasis on supporting the Global South in building its own AI capabilities.
China sees itself as a driving force.
Xi Jinping also used the speech to highlight China’s own development. The core sectors of China’s AI economy have now reached a volume of at least one trillion yuan. Smart devices are already supporting millions of households, while smart manufacturing has become a hallmark of China’s modernization. At the same time, he emphasized that China is continuously expanding laws, ethical guidelines, and safety mechanisms to ensure that AI remains “safe, secure, and controllable.”
New international AI initiatives
A significant portion of the speech focused on China’s international ambitions. Xi referred to China’s initiative for global AI governance and announced further concrete measures.
Over the next five years, China will provide 5,000 AI training and seminar places for developing countries. Furthermore, international cooperation centres will be established with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the BRICS countries. In addition, China plans to provide 30 countries with an AI-powered meteorological early warning system.
In parallel, the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) was launched in Shanghai – a new international organization with which China aims to institutionally anchor its vision of global AI cooperation.
AI as a geopolitical question for the future
In closing, Xi reiterated his appeal to the international community to jointly shape the development of artificial intelligence. AI should remain under human control and be accompanied by international cooperation. He stated that the development of AI should not be a “solo performance by a single country,” but rather a “symphony of international cooperation.”
With this speech, Xi Jinping made it clear that China not only wants to be among the leading AI nations technologically, but also aspires to actively shape the international rules, institutions and standards of artificial intelligence in the future.
yogaesoteric
July 22, 2026