Nation boosts global AI governance

As artificial intelligence technologies immensely reshape people's lifestyles and profoundly influence the global economic and technological development landscape, China, as one of the leading countries in the AI sector, has continuously contributed its wisdom to global AI governance to make AI technologies more secure, reliable, controllable and equitable.

Following President Xi Jinping's proposal of the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, the Chinese government has proposed the creation of a global AI cooperation organization, and it is tentatively considering establishing the organization's headquarters in Shanghai.

Premier Li Qiang announced the initiative about the organization on Saturday in Shanghai when addressing the opening ceremony of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, a three-day event themed "Global Solidarity in the AI Era".

Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said that the initiative is an important move that China has made to practice multilateralism and promote a style of global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits.

It is also a concrete action taken by China in response to the call of Global South nations to bridge the digital and intelligence divide, and to promote the inclusive development of AI and the use of AI for good, Ma added.

China expects that the organization will serve as a platform for countries to deepen cooperation on innovation, promote pragmatic cooperation to fully unleash the unlimited potential of AI, and achieve common development and prosperity, Ma said, adding that China is ready to discuss relevant arrangements with countries that are willing to join the organization.

Addressing the conference on Saturday, Premier Li said that the risks and challenges brought by AI development, such as machine hallucination, deep fakes and AI proliferation, have received widespread attention.

There is an urgent need to further consolidate a societal consensus on how to achieve a balance between development and security in the AI sector, he said.

Li highlighted that greater emphasis should be placed on collective governance to ensure that AI ultimately benefits humanity.

Given that global AI governance appears fragmented, it is essential to enhance coordination and alignment among countries around the world to establish a framework and rules for global AI governance with a broad consensus, the premier added.

Noting that China places great importance on global AI governance and actively participates in promoting multilateral and bilateral cooperation in this regard, Li said the nation is willing to offer more Chinese solutions to the international community and contribute more Chinese wisdom to global AI governance.

China actively promotes open source development and is willing to collaborate with countries around the world to promote progress in software and hardware technologies, intensify open source initiatives, and collectively propel AI development to higher levels, he said.

Also on Saturday, the conference adopted the Global AI Governance Action Plan, which calls on all parties to work in solidarity to advance AI development and governance.

In recent years, various Chinese "AI+" technological products and solutions have broken new ground globally.

For example, in Brazil, the Bright Power Large Model developed by State Grid Corp of China has enabled the South American country's state grid to achieve smart operation and maintenance.

When Sagaing, Myanmar, was struck by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in March, the DeepSeek-based Chinese-Myanmar-English translation system joined international quake rescue efforts, demonstrating the value of AI language models in emergency rescue situations.

In late 2022, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa began deploying Huawei's AI-powered optical-visual linkage platform to fortify the security of the African country's century-old railway network. Thanks to the AI knowledge intelligence project jointly developed by Huawei and PRASA, a smart app powered by DeepSeek has helped the country's railway system to enhance its efficiency in operations and maintenance.

Meanwhile, in a landmark announcement at the 2025 World AI Conference on Saturday, the China Meteorological Administration unveiled "MAZU", a comprehensive national early warning solution poised to reshape global disaster preparedness.

Named after a revered sea goddess and protector against natural disasters in Chinese coastal culture, MAZU stands for "multihazard, alert, zero-gap and universal". It is a proactive, AI-driven initiative designed to share China's advanced meteorological technology and experience with the world, particularly focusing on developing countries that face the brunt of climate change impacts.

Anne Bouverot, the special envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron for AI, spoke positively of China's role in global AI governance, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in AI development.

"There is an urgency for global action toward openness, accessibility and inclusiveness. For this to happen, a strong, inclusive global governance framework for AI must be established," she said.

During a "Fireside Chat" on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference, Harry Shum, former executive vice-president of Microsoft, and Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, underlined the need for transnational cooperation to set rules for global competition and collaboration in AI.

While explaining his view on Sino-US cooperation on AI, Schmidt quoted former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, saying that "as long as both sides have common goals, they can reach an agreement".

He pointed out that some key issues must be discussed. "We should sit down and clarify them, such as whether AI can control weapons, replicate itself and learn automatically."

Schmidt added: "I'm a genuine optimist. China and the United States can build trust from the bottom, step by step. It's been done before, and it can be done again."