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Activity Type: AI Global Forum

China and Zambia Co-Host UN High-Level Meeting on International Cooperation in AI Capacity-Building

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On September 25, 2024, the governments of China and Zambia jointly hosted the High-Level Meeting on International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence (人工智能能力建設國際合作高級別會議) on the margins of the general debate of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) attended and addressed the event alongside Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Zambia’s Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati, and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, with high-level representatives from more than 80 countries and international organizations participating. The meeting was convened as a follow-up to UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/78/311 on “Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence” (關於加強人工智能能力建設國際合作的決議), which China had tabled and which passed by consensus in July 2024 with 143 co-sponsoring states. In his remarks, titled “Promoting Development for All and Bridging the AI Divide,” Wang announced China’s AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All (人工智能能力建設行動計劃), a ten-point program organized around five areas: AI and digital infrastructure connectivity; model development and application cooperation; talent development and AI literacy; data construction and security governance; and AI safety and controllability. Wang also promoted Xi Jinping’s Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡議), first proposed in October 2023, as the normative framework for international AI cooperation, framing it as a multilateralist alternative to what he characterized as hegemonic governance — specifically rejecting “using a single set of values as the sole standard for AI governance.” He proposed that China and Zambia co-establish a Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building (人工智能能力建設國際合作之友小組) at the United Nations to advance implementation of the resolution and the action plan. In CCP diplomatic discourse, “friendship” generally carries political expectations of accommodation of China’s core interests.

China and Zambia Co-Host Inaugural Meeting of Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building at the United Nations

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On December 3, 2024, China and Zambia co-hosted the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building (人工智能能力建設國際合作之友小組) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, formally establishing the group. Fu Cong (傅聰), China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Prudence Kaoma, acting Permanent Secretary of Zambia’s Ministry of Finance and National Planning, delivered opening remarks, with representatives from more than 80 countries and several UN agencies attending, including the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology. The group was established as a direct follow-up mechanism to UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/78/311 (關於加強人工智能能力建設國際合作的決議) and to China’s AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All (人工智能能力建設行動計劃), announced at the September 2024 UN General Assembly high-level meeting. According to China’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Fu invoked Xi Jinping’s Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡議) as the normative foundation for the group’s work, framing it around “fairness and inclusiveness” and “multilateralism” — terms China uses in AI governance contexts to promote state-centered regulatory frameworks as an alternative to norms that emphasize individual rights or Western institutional leadership. Kaoma said Zambia expected the group to bridge the AI divide and support the UN’s role in global AI governance. According to the People’s Daily, the meeting marked China’s second major AI governance event at the UN in three months.

8th World Artificial Intelligence Conference

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The 8th World Artificial Intelligence Conference (世界人工智能大会), or WAIC, was held in Shanghai from July 28 to July 30, 2025, with participation from representatives from more than 40 countries — as China pressed to position itself as a global leader on AI development and governance. WAIC is an annual Shanghai-based event that bills itself as “one of the most influential AI events within the global tech, science, and industry ecosystem.” Launched in 2018 and hosted by several Chinese government ministries and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government (上海市人民政府), with Donghao Lansheng Group (东浩兰生集团) as executive organizer, WAIC has convened for seven consecutive years, featuring scientists, entrepreneurs, government officials, and investors. Donghao Lansheng Group is a state-owned enterprise based in Shanghai, whose sole shareholder is the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (上海市国有资产监督管理委员会). Co-organizing ministries include the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展和改革委员会), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部), the Ministry of Science and Technology (科学技术部), the State Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院), the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院), and the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (中国科学技术协会). The 2025 edition, held July 26-28 under the theme “Global Solidarity in the AI Era,” attracted over 800 companies and featured more than 3,000 exhibits — and was heavily billed by state media as a sign of China’s global leadership on AI safety and other key emerging global issues in the field. Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李强) used the platform to propose a global AI governance framework, while CNN reported the conference showcased China’s technological capabilities amid ongoing US-China AI competition, with demonstrations including “mahjong-playing humanoid” robots and boxing robots that “quickly caught the attention of visitors.”