Xi Jinping attends WAIC for first time, calls AI a 'global symphony' not a solo act

Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled wariness Friday over the concentration of AI dominance in any single country, calling for global cooperation over technological monopoly in remarks widely interpreted as targeting US-led efforts to control AI technology.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi said AI progress "must not become a solo performance by one country" but should instead advance "like a symphony played together by the whole world," according to Reuters and AFP.

Xi proposed a "human-centered approach" as the core value of technological development and raised concerns about the potential risks AI could pose.

"We must rigorously manage the secondary risk factors hidden behind the technology," he said, adding that risk-management frameworks must be strengthened to "nurture AI within a controllable and safe boundary."

In an apparent reference to export restrictions imposed by the United States and the EU on advanced technology bound for China on national security grounds, Xi directly criticized the overreach of security-based justifications. He called for collective resistance against "indiscriminately expanding the pretext of national security to erect technology barriers" and urged the rapid establishment of a universal global AI governance framework that all parties can agree on.

China also put forward solidarity with the Global South — developing and emerging economies — as an alternative path, arguing that the technology gap must not give rise to a new form of international inequality. Xi announced plans to deepen AI cooperation with ASEAN, Latin America, Africa and BRICS allies, and pledged to provide 5,000 AI training opportunities for talent from developing countries over the next five years.

This year's WAIC marks its ninth edition, and Friday was the first time Xi attended the opening ceremony in person. On Thursday, China and 28 other countries signed a founding agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), which Xi hailed as "a major milestone in the history of humanity's AI development."