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Chinese President Xi Jinping Calls for Global AI Cooperation at Shanghai Conference
Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 17, 2026. He presented China's lower-cost AI approach as an alternative to U.S. models and urged international cooperation.
Jul 18, 12:05 PM·1m read2 sources
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Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke at the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 17, 2026. He described artificial intelligence development as requiring international cooperation rather than dominance by any single country.
"In China, we often say that a single string cannot make music and a single tree does not make a forest. The development of AI should not be a solo performance by one country, but a symphony of international cooperation," Xi said.
Chinese companies have narrowed the performance gap with leading U.S. firms while offering lower-cost products, Le Monde reported. The most advanced AI systems remain under development in California. This approach aligns with China's stated priorities of positioning itself as an alternative to Western technology and competing in what Beijing views as a key technological race.
The conference received significant diplomatic attention from Chinese authorities. Two years earlier, China was described as trailing far behind U.S. artificial intelligence capabilities.
