Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday cast Beijing as the champion of a new global AI order, using China's premier tech conference to promote open-source technology and challenge US influence over the rules governing the fast-moving sector.
In a speech to the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi urged countries to seize the "historic opportunity" of open-source AI, and pledged to help developing nations build AI capabilities, warning against the emergence of "new historical injustices" from unequal access to the technology.
The remarks amounted to Xi's clearest articulation yet of China's ambition to shape global AI governance, framing its open-source models as a global public good and positioning Beijing as an alternative to Washington at a pivotal moment in the race for technological leadership.
Comparing AI's significance to the invention of the steam engine and electricity, Xi outlined a vision in which China shares AI technology and expertise with countries across the Global South, while leading global efforts to create standards governing the emerging technology.
The speech pitched China's AI coalition as a rival to the US-led "Pax Silica" international initiative to secure global AI and critical mineral supply chains, though Xi avoided naming Washington.
Chinese state media has increasingly portrayed Beijing's AI strategy as a response to what it calls a US-led attempt to erect an "AI Iron Curtain."
In a commentary published on Thursday, Yuyuan Tantian, a prominent social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said China was seeking to build "another order" by "pooling the strength of all humanity and all countries to build an open-source, all-factor AI ecosystem."
The WAIC conference underlined the shifting AI landscape, with Chinese open-weight AI models making rapid gains against proprietary systems from US companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI on Friday unveiled Kimi K3, which it described as the world's largest open AI model by parameter count, a month after the US government abruptly pulled Anthropic's frontier-class AI models due to security concerns.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Beijing is weighing restrictions on overseas access to some of China’s leading AI models, highlighting the growing tension between its promotion of open-source AI and an increasingly stringent national security agenda.
Xi also called for AI systems to remain under human control and urged countries to establish early-warning and emergency-response mechanisms to manage AI risks, in his clearest remarks to date on AI safety.
He further urged measures to guard against loss-of-control scenarios, warning of the dangers posed by autonomous AI systems that could evade human oversight and control.
China positioning to 'lead the world'
China will provide AI training and develop AI cooperation centres with BRICS, ASEAN, Latin American and African Union countries, Xi said, aligning its AI diplomacy with major Global South blocs where Beijing already carries significant influence.
The remarks came a day after the launch of the China-created World AI Cooperation Organisation, or WAICO, which signed up 29 member countries. Xi called the organisation a "milestone in the history of world AI development" and said it responded to demands from Global South nations for greater participation in AI governance.
Analysts said the timing turned what might have been a routine policy speech into a statement linking China's technological advances to a formal diplomatic platform.
"You've got the leader of the second most powerful country in the world, a country that's still posting real technological gains despite everything going on with the US, standing up and laying out China's view on AI," said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, managing director at Ankura China Advisors.
That institutional push reflects a broader Chinese effort to avoid being cast as a rule-taker in a sector increasingly shaped by US companies, US export controls and Washington-led technology partnerships, according to analysts.
"Xi's message is clear: China is not going to follow anyone on both AI technology and standards. Instead, China is going to lead the world in both aspects," said George Chen, chair in digital practice at The Asia Group, a consultancy.
Competing visions
The July 17-20 gathering comes as Washington and Beijing prepare for their first government-level AI talks under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
The two powers laid out competing visions at a UN AI dialogue last week, where US officials argued excessive regulation could hinder innovation, while China promoted its low-cost, open-source models as a tool for narrowing global disparities in AI access.
Washington has brought together 35 countries behind its AI Opportunity Statement, compared with 29 countries signed up to the China-led WAICO.
Kazakhstan is the only country listed as joining both initiatives, a person familiar with the US position said, arguing the limited overlap showed most countries aligned with Washington's framework had not endorsed Beijing's competing initiative.
Alongside China's leading technology companies, attendees at WAIC include UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
