President Xi Jinping said AI development should be virtuous and benefit humanity in a keynote speech at the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 17. He put forward four proposals: upholding openness and win-win cooperation, strengthening risk awareness, encouraging inclusiveness, and promoting solidarity to build a fair and equitable global AI governance system. Xi announced the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organisation, offering 5,000 AI training slots for developing countries, and setting up international AI application cooperation centres with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and BRICS.

He also said the ‘Mazu’ meteorological intelligent early warning system would be deployed in 30 countries. International observers said the speech demonstrated China’s sincerity in sharing development fruits.

Global AI governance is moving towards coordination. China's proposal to establish the World AI Cooperation Organisation and provide 5,000 training slots directly addresses the current North-South digital divide: about 70 percent of core AI patents are concentrated in China and the US, while developing countries face computing power and talent bottlenecks. For New Zealand SMEs in Asia-Pacific supply chains, this initiative is not remote — cooperation centres aimed at regions such as ASEAN could accelerate AI adoption in agritech and disaster warning, areas where NZ has expertise.

This offers a chance for NZ to embed into the regional AI value chain. On the other hand, the risk of governance fragmentation cannot be ignored. The EU imposes strict regulation based on risk tiers, while China advocates balancing development and safety.

Companies with AI tools or data services across multiple markets will need to track mutual recognition standards, making compliance costs a key variable. The rollout of the ‘Mazu’ system in 30 countries signals that climate-resilient infrastructure is becoming a concrete track for AI public procurement in emerging markets — a commercial opportunity worth attention.

Keywords: Xi Jinping, artificial intelligence, global governance, World AI Conference, openness and win-win, risk awareness, inclusiveness, solidarity, developing countries, Mazu

国家主席习近平7月17日在上海出席2026世界人工智能大会开幕式并发表主旨讲话，强调人工智能发展应向上向善、造福人类，提出坚持开放共赢、强化风险意识、鼓励包容并蓄、倡导和衷共济四点意见以构建公正合理的全球人工智能治理体系。习近平宣布成立世界人工智能合作组织，面向发展中国家提供5000个人工智能专题研修培训名额，面向东盟、阿盟、非盟、拉共体、上合组织、金砖国家建设国际人工智能应用合作中心，推动气象智能预警方案“妈祖”在30个国家落地应用。多国人士表示，习近平主席的讲话为全球人工智能发展与治理指明方向，彰显中国共享发展红利的诚意与担当。

全球人工智能治理正从分散走向协调。中国倡议成立世界人工智能合作组织并提供5000个培训名额，直指当前南北数字鸿沟：目前全球AI核心专利约70%集中在中美，发展中国家普遍面临算力与人才瓶颈。对亚太供应链中的新西兰中小企业而言，该布局并非遥远——面向东盟等区域的合作中心可能加速农业科技、防灾预警等垂直场景的AI应用落地，而新西兰在精准农牧与气候服务方面恰有技术积累，可借此嵌入区域AI价值链。

另一方面，治理碎片化风险不容忽视。欧盟以风险分级推行严厉监管，中国主张发展与安全并重，若企业涉及多市场AI工具或数据服务，需持续跟踪标准互认进展，合规成本将成关键变量。‘妈祖’气象预警方案在30国推广，则直接释放信号：气候韧性基础设施正成为新兴市场AI公共采购的实质赛道，其商业机会比泛泛的“普惠”叙事更值得关注。

关键词: 习近平, 人工智能, 全球治理, 世界人工智能大会, 开放共赢, 风险意识, 包容并蓄, 和衷共济, 发展中国家, 妈祖

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Source: Xinhua Net