On July 17, 2026, at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi Jinping delivered his first opening keynote in person — a strong political signal, as WAIC (founded in 2018) had until now only received his congratulatory letters, with Li Qiang presiding over the 2024-2025 editions. Xi presented "four observations" there, positioning China as a champion of multilateral, open, and Global South-centered global AI governance.
The four observations (authenticated by Xinhua/SCIO): ① promote open-source, openness, and sharing in service of innovation and concrete use cases; ② AI that is "safe and controllable," always under human control, opposing "the abusive extension of the concept of national security" — a reading widely interpreted as a veiled jab at Washington; ③ inclusiveness and respect for the diversity of civilizations; ④ solidarity and improved governance, acknowledging "the important role of the United Nations" and helping the Global South bridge digital divides. The key formula: "AI should not be a solo performance, but a symphony of international cooperation."
Concrete announcements (confirmed verbatim by Xinhua): 5,000 AI training courses and seminars over five years for developing countries; application cooperation centers with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC, the SCO, and BRICS; and the extension of the MAZU AI weather-warning system to 30 countries (already used by 40+ national weather agencies).
Highlight: the birth, the day before (July 16), of WAICO — the World AI Cooperation Organization, intergovernmental, headquartered in Shanghai, signed by 29 countries (Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Serbia, Cuba… including 10 African countries, 12 Asian countries), with Wang Yi signing for Beijing. No major Western economy joined; António Guterres was present.
The speech implicitly contrasts with the US approach ("America First," export controls, a technology stack for "trusted partners"): China is betting on membership, open-weight models, low inference costs, and a seat for the Global South. Context: the US-China performance gap has narrowed to 2.7% (Stanford HAI 2026), DeepSeek's share has doubled on OpenRouter, and Huawei is showcasing an Nvidia-independent cluster.
Key caveats: Xi's statements come from Xinhua/SCIO; the characterizations ("rule-maker," "challenge to the Western order," "veiled allusion") are analysts' interpretations, not Xi's own words — he never named the United States.