Back in Shanghai for the World AI Conference where China’s Xi is just about to take to the stage.
29 countries signed up yesterday to his global body for AI, WAICO.
Room buzzing with presidents current and former, diplomats, officials and tech gurus.
And those Bund views!
PRESIDENT XI IN SHANGHAI:
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday pledged 5,000 opportunities for AI training and seminars for developing countries over the next five years, among a series of steps to expand global cooperation on artificial intelligence.
Xi made the announcement in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.
He said the World AI Cooperation Organization, formally established in Shanghai a day earlier, was the product of joint efforts by the international community and China's response to calls from the Global South, describing it as an important milestone in the history of artificial intelligence and a major step toward advancing AI development and governance worldwide.
To deepen practical collaboration, Xi said China will set up international AI application cooperation centers with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS countries.
China will also extend the deployment of MAZU, its AI-powered meteorological early warning system, to 30 countries to strengthen disaster preparedness through smarter weather forecasting.
Launched in July 2025, the system has already been rolled out in countries including Pakistan and Djibouti.
SOURCE: @shanghaidaily
To further support global AI development and advance global AI capacity building, in the next five years, China will
1️⃣ Provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programs;
2️⃣ Develop international AI application cooperation centers with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS;
3️⃣ Enable 30 countries to use the Al-powered meteorological warning system, or MAZU.
President Xi pointed out that thanks to the joint efforts of all parties, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) has come into being in Shanghai.
This is a major move by China to answer the call of the Global South and unite the international community together to promote vigorously AI development and governance. It will be an important milestone in the history of AI development.
President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai and delivered the keynote address.
President Xi noted that today, the world has entered an unprecedented period of active innovation on AI technologies, carrying within it great opportunities as well as challenges to governance.
In China’s view, all countries should take a people-centered approach and develop AI for the positive and for good. We should ensure that AI is an important driver for shared prosperity and common security. We should join hands to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance.
The “South China Sea arbitration” is a political farce masqueraded as a legal process.
The “arbitral tribunal” exceeded its authority and abused its jurisdiction. The “award” is illegal, null and void. Over the past decade, more and more farsighted people have become clear-eyed about the nature of the “arbitration.” The practice of many countries, as well as the way international judicial bodies have dealt with relevant cases, also differs from the “award.”
By neither accepting nor participating in the “arbitration,” and by neither accepting nor recognizing the “award,” China is upholding the international rule of law and maritime order with concrete actions.
President Xi Jinping met with U.S. business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald J. Trump on his visit to China.
President Xi pointed out that U.S. businesses are deeply involved in China’s reform and opening up to the benefit of both sides. China will only open its door wider. China welcomes more mutually beneficial cooperation from the U.S. He believes that American businesses will enjoy broader prospects in China.
President Xi stressed to President Trump that facts have shown time and again that trade wars have no winner. China-U.S. economic and trade ties are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. Where disagreements and frictions exist, equal-footed consultation is the only right choice.
Our economic and trade teams produced generally balanced and positive outcomes. This is good news for the people of the two countries and the world. The two sides should jointly sustain the good momentum that we have worked hard to create.
President Xi stressed to President Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.
“Taiwan independence” and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the U.S.
President Xi Jinping held talks with U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
President Xi noted that transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. The world has come to another crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide greater stability for the world? Can we build a bright future together for our bilateral relations in the interest of the well-being of the two peoples and the future of humanity? These are the questions vital to history, to the world, and to the people. They are the questions of our times that the leaders of major countries need to answer together.
President Xi stressed that the two countries have more common interests than differences, success in one is an opportunity for the other, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era. I look forward to our discussions on major issues important to our two countries and the world, and working together with you to set the course and steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations, so as to make 2026 a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-U.S. relations.