No single country should dominate AI: Xi

President Xi Jinping said artificial intelligence should not be dominated by a single country. Delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on Friday, Xi also appealed for global cooperation on AI development. "AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation," he said. "We should put in place laws and regulations, technological monitoring, early warning, and emergency response systems, in order to... ensure AI is always under human control." The president highlighted the importance of a "people-centred" approach to the development of AI technology. He also spoke of China's role in ensuring equity of access to AI capacity building for developing countries in order to prevent the creation of "new historical injustices" in AI, announcing Beijing's plans to cooperate with numerous international bodies, including from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Brics countries, to provide AI-related opportunities. Twenty-nine countries, including China, signed an agreement on Thursday on establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, an independent intergovernmental international group headquartered in Shanghai. The organisation aims to promote international cooperation and global governance on AI, ensuring that AI is beneficial, safe and fair, thereby promoting its healthy and orderly development to benefit all humanity, Xinhua News Agency reported. (Agencies) Edited by Edmond Fong