The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) kicked off in Shanghai on July 25, 2025, with speeches from high-level Chinese officials setting the tone for the entire event. Beijings main message to the global community was a call for building an "inclusive" and "open" system of global AI governance. This rhetoric, as noted by analysts, is a direct response to U.S. policy, which China characterizes as aimed at technological dominance and the creation of closed alliances. In their speeches, representatives from Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology emphasized that China is ready to share its AI achievements with developing countries and advocates for strengthening the role of the Global South in shaping international standards. The Shanghai conference is thus being used not only as a showcase for Chinas technological achievements (featuring dozens of new LLMs and robots) but also as a key diplomatic platform. China is actively promoting its initiatives, such as the "Global AI Governance Initiative," offering the world an alternative, non-Western approach to regulating artificial intelligence. This emphasis on "inclusivity" and cooperation is aimed at winning over countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, thereby strengthening Chinas geopolitical influence in the most important technological field of the 21st century.
China Promotes "Inclusive" Global Governance at Shanghai AI Conference
