African Nations Pledge AI Cooperation with China

At the three-yearly Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Beijing on September 5, 2024, China and the African Union outlined AI cooperation in the Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027). African countries welcomed China’s Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡議) and supported developing countries’ rights in global AI governance. Both sides committed to bridging the AI and digital divide while jointly preventing risks, opposing technological monopolies, and building international governance frameworks with the UN as the main channel. The agreement established a China-Africa Digital Technology Cooperation Center (中非數字技術合作中心), with China agreeing to facilitate 20 digital infrastructure and transformation projects. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation on digital literacy, cybersecurity, data security (數據安全), and cross-border data flow protocols (跨境數據流動規則). They coordinated on regulating AI applications while promoting AI’s safe use in governance, emphasizing equal access to technology development without ideological divisions. 53 African nations were reportedly in attendance at the summit.