Shanghai, China (Enmaeya News) — China on Saturday proposed creating a new international organization to support global cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), presenting itself as an alternative leader to the United States in the growing global race over the powerful technology.
Speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Beijing aims to help build a framework to coordinate AI regulation and development worldwide.
"AI should not become an exclusive game of just a few countries and companies," Li said, "We want AI to be open and shared, with equal rights for all countries and companies to access and use it."
China’s vision includes offering its AI products and experience to developing countries, especially those in the Global South, Li added.
Li’s comments appeared to respond to efforts by Washington to limit China’s access to advanced AI technology. Earlier this week, the U.S. released a new strategy aiming to increase AI exports to allied nations while curbing China’s technological rise.
At the Shanghai conference, Li acknowledged several key challenges in managing AI's rapid development, including chip shortages and barriers to global talent exchange.
“Global AI governance remains fragmented,” he said. “Countries have major differences in regulatory ideas and institutional systems. We should strengthen coordination to create a global governance framework with broad consensus.”
China is also considering placing the proposed organization’s headquarters in Shanghai, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said during a separate roundtable with delegates from over 30 countries, including Russia, Germany, South Africa, South Korea and Qatar.
The Chinese foreign ministry released an action plan online, calling for international collaboration on AI governance and encouraging governments, companies and research groups to contribute to a cross-border open-source community.
The three-day Shanghai conference draws government officials, researchers, tech executives and investors, amid rising U.S.-China tensions over AI. Washington has imposed export restrictions on cutting-edge chips and chipmaking tools, citing concerns over China’s potential military use of the technology.
Still, Chinese firms have made significant AI advancements, prompting close scrutiny from U.S. officials.
This year’s event features more than 800 companies showcasing over 3,000 tech products, including 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices and 60 humanoid robots, according to organizers.
Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Alibaba are among the main exhibitors, along with startups such as Unitree. U.S. companies including Tesla, Amazon, and Google’s parent company Alphabet are also participating.
Notable speakers on included Geoffrey Hinton, often called the "Godfather of AI," Anne Bouverot, the French president’s AI envoy, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.