Xi Jinping Calls for Global AI Governance at WAIC 2026

Shanghai, July 20, 2026 — President Xi Jinping delivered a landmark keynote address at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, calling for international cooperation in AI governance as 29 nations launched the world’s first intergovernmental AI body. Meanwhile, China’s homegrown “ZhiChuanWang” (Smart Transmission Network) technology captured the conference’s highest honor — the Global AI Grand Prize — marking a milestone in Chinese AI innovation.

A New Era for AI Governance

Speaking at the Shanghai World Conference Center on July 17, Xi described artificial intelligence as “another epoch-making major technological change after the steam engine, electricity, and the internet,” according to Xinhua News. He posed four fundamental questions to the international community: “When machines begin to think, how should humans coexist with them? When algorithms participate in decision-making, how is safety ensured? When technology challenges ethics, how does governance keep up? When the gap continues to widen, how is universal benefit achieved?”

Xi proposed a four-dimensional framework for building a fair and reasonable global AI governance system: development (open innovation), security (risk control), civilization (inclusiveness and mutual learning), and governance (global cooperation). He emphasized that AI development “should not erode or damage world cultural diversity and the cultural uniqueness of each country,” as reported by China Youth Daily.

WAICO: A Historic Milestone

On the eve of the conference, July 16, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) was formally established in Shanghai — the world’s first dedicated intergovernmental AI governance body. Twenty-nine countries signed the founding agreement, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi representing China. The organization, headquartered in Shanghai, follows UN Charter principles and operates on a philosophy of “extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits.”

WAICO’s founding members span Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, including China, Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Brazil, South Africa, Ethiopia, Serbia, and Belarus. Notably, no major Western powers — the United States, United Kingdom, EU member states, Japan, or South Korea — are among the founding members, signaling a potential bifurcation in global AI governance frameworks. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences described the organization as “a historic milestone in AI development.”

ZhiChuanWang: AI-Powered Communication Breakthrough

As the conference concluded on July 20, China’s ZhiChuanWang (智传网/Smart Transmission Network) technology was awarded the Global AI Grand Prize, the highest honor of WAIC 2026. Developed by the China Telecom AI Research Institute under Dean Li Xuelong, the technology represents a paradigm shift in video transmission.

According to CCTV News, ZhiChuanWang uses an “AI + communications” approach that transmits only key “tokens” (词元) rather than raw data, then reconstructs the content at the receiving end. A 1080P HD video that traditionally requires approximately 3.6 Mbps bandwidth can be transmitted with less than 100 Kbps — a reduction of roughly 97%.

Li Xuelong described the breakthrough as achieving “using the bandwidth of sending a text message to make a phone call, using the bandwidth of a phone call to stream video.” The technology is particularly valuable for emergency rescue scenarios where ground networks are destroyed, enabling drones to transmit real-time high-definition footage through extremely narrow satellite links.

The award comes as China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the “AI + Information and Communications” Innovation Development Implementation Opinion (2026-2028), targeting high-level self-intelligence in information networks by 2028 and the development of 30+ high-value application scenarios.

China’s Global AI Initiatives

Xi announced several major cooperation initiatives during his address: 5,000 AI training slots for developing countries over the next five years; the establishment of international AI application cooperation centers with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC, the SCO, and BRICS; and the deployment of the “Mazu” intelligent weather early warning system in 30 countries.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, speaking at the conference, praised China’s approach, stating: “We highly identify with the visionary concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and believe this concept has special practical value in the era of AI.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the signing ceremony, lending multilateral legitimacy to the new organization, though he noted that developing countries “receive only a drop in the bucket of relevant investment.”

Analysis and Implications

The 2026 WAIC represents a significant escalation in China’s efforts to shape global AI governance norms. Since proposing the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, Beijing has steadily built institutional momentum — from UN resolutions on AI capacity building to the formal establishment of WAICO. The 29 founding members, predominantly from the Global South, reflect China’s strategy of building coalitions with developing nations.

The absence of Western powers from WAICO raises questions about the future of global AI governance. Will competing frameworks emerge between China-led and Western-led initiatives, or will WAICO eventually expand to include all major AI powers? The conference adopted the WAIC 2026 Chairman’s Statement on July 17, outlining shared principles, but the path toward truly universal AI governance remains uncertain.

What’s Next

As WAIC 2026 concludes, the focus now shifts to implementation. The newly established WAICO must define its operational structure, membership expansion criteria, and concrete governance mechanisms. China’s commitment to providing 5,000 AI training slots and establishing cooperation centers across multiple regions signals a long-term investment in AI capacity building for the Global South. Meanwhile, ZhiChuanWang’s commercial deployment — particularly in emergency response and telecommunications — will be closely watched as a test case for China’s “AI + communications” strategy.

The coming months will reveal whether WAICO can bridge the governance divide or whether the world’s two largest AI powers will pursue parallel, competing frameworks for the future of artificial intelligence.