Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, China, July 17, 2026. Ng Han Guan/Pool.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, China, July 17, 2026. Ng Han Guan/Pool. 
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres take their positions for a group photo before the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, China, July 17, 2026. Ng Han Guan/Pool.
SHANGHAI, July 17 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised the importance of a “people-centred” approach to the development of AI technology in a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Friday.
Xi also spoke of China’s role in ensuring equity of access to AI capacity building for developing countries in order to prevent the creation of “new historical injustices” in AI, announcing China’s plans to cooperate with numerous international bodies, including from Africa, Latin America, Asia and BRICS countries, to provide AI-related opportunities.
Reporting by Casey Hall in Shanghai; Editing by Christopher Cushing.
