Chinese President Xi Jinping today argued that artificial intelligence should not be dominated by a single country and called for the strengthening of international cooperation in the governance of this technology at the opening of the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence.
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17/07/2026
by
Lusa
Nthe opening session of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi said that “the development of the AI should not be a solo spectacle of a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation.”.
The Chinese Head of State added that countries should “together oppose the excessive extension of the concept of national security in the field of AI or the placing of the security of one country above the others”.
Statements arise in a context of growing competition between Beijing and Washington for leadership in artificial intelligence.
The United States and the European Union have imposed restrictions on the export of advanced technologies to China for national security reasons, while Chinese companies have reduced their distance from US counterparts in developing AI models, focusing on lower-cost solutions.
Xi also advocated the creation of laws and regulations, technological supervision mechanisms, early warning systems and emergency response to ensure that “the AI always remains under human control”, reiterating the need for a “people-centered” approach.
On the eve, representatives from 29 countries, including Russia, Pakistan and Indonesia, also signed the agreement in Shanghai establishing the World Organisation for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (Waico), an intergovernmental body promoted by Beijing to strengthen international cooperation and global governance of the AI.
Based in Shanghai, the new organisation aims to promote consultation and collaboration between Member States to ensure a “healthy and orderly” development of artificial intelligence.
The conference, which takes place for four days, brings together more than a thousand Chinese technology companies, as well as political leaders, researchers and industry representatives.
Participants include UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Some 3,000 products linked to artificial intelligence will be presented during the event, including new computing systems, specialized semiconductors, autonomous AI agents and mobile devices equipped with applications capable of performing tasks without human intervention.
The AI has become one of the pillars of the Chinese industrial strategy, supported by strong state investments to develop a national ecosystem, from semiconductor production to commercial applications.
According to official Chinese data, the national artificial intelligence market reached 1.2 billion yuan (EUR 154 billion) in 2025 and is expected to grow by more than 30% this year.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WPO) indicated that China led the number of patent applications related to AI generative between 2024 and 2025, with more than 43,000 records.