China: Building equitable system for global AI governance

By Ochiaka Ugwu

At the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, Chinese President, Xi Jinping in his opening speech reeled out China’s blueprint for a just and equitable global Artificial Intelligence (AI) system. Xi’s speech brought to fore China’s comprehensive plans for achieving data sovereignty which is based on People-Centered-Approach, Greater good, Global Cooperation Initiative on mutual rust, Interconnection, Interoperability, and the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). When viewed critically, this demonstrates China’s honest, constructive, strategic and comprehensive effort to shape the future deployment and governance of AI globally.

while kicking against technology restrictions and urging for artificial intelligence to be developed and governed as a global effort rather than dominated by any single nation, Xi cautioned against what he themed the “overstretching” of national security concerns, making reference to big tech restrictions that have put developing nations off from some of the world’s most advanced chips and AI technology.

Xi emphasized the need for development of artificial intelligence not to be a solo performance by any single country but rather a symphony of global cooperation.

With this, China has really engaged the world in a manner that is both productive and crucial, because the expectations of most nations of the world especially in the Global South in directing and determining their AI future and shape is high.

Xi’s proposal which is grounded on the need for stable and secured world reframes global AI governance by centering justice as the core quality that AI systems must embody in the public interest for shared humanity in the new era.

AI experts and development watchers hold strongly that prevailing global AI governance models, anchored in notions of “ethical” or “responsible” AI, frameworks designed to ensure artificial intelligence serves humanity safely remain structurally inadequate and capable of advancing historical injustice.

As exposed by scholars and pundits, such frameworks are largely self-regulatory, dominated and driven by dominant actors, and calibrated to developed countries having no regard for sovereignty and reinforces vastly different socio-economic and institutional realities.

Such frameworks deepen existing inequalities, extracting value from individuals, communities, and nations without mutual benefit, input, or control. For developing nations that are nowhere in the AI superhighway, these effects are both current and with long term implications for their future realities.

Just as China offers the world a practical framework to readdress this path of AI injustice, focusing on active intervention and specific allocation of resources to guide societal level shifts, it is materially bringing the development and prosperity needs of local populations associated with AI and planetary and sustainability impacts of AI into view.

Leveraging on its 2023 Global AI Governance Initiative, 2024 AI Capacity-Building Action Plan, and the commitment in the 15th Five Year Plan, Beijing is doing all it could to encourage and promote Global Digital Compact, a landmark UN framework adopted in September 2024 at the Summit of the Future. It aims to bridge the global digital divide, establish ethical governance for Artificial Intelligence (AI), protect human rights, and promote trusted data sharing across borders, to inclusive and multi-stakeholder participation.

Highlights of Xi’s perspectives on AI governance system

Xi’s four priorities center on openness and cooperation, inclusivity, mutual learning, equitable access, keeping AI secure under human control by prioritizing risk awareness, and stronger UN-centred coordination. He also stressed national and cultural differences, criticised the ‘overstretching’ of national security concerns, and announced 5,000 AI training opportunities, international AI application cooperation centres, and the deployment of the MAZU meteorological early-warning system in 30 countries to secure homes.

It shows the need for a globally accepted understanding that the governance of AI should not be separated from the governance of data. The separation of data governance and AI in international arena weakens the much-touted data justice that ought to guide all AI systems. Data justice is crucially informed by a right of access to data, in substantive and procedural form without any limitation.

Xi also wants an equitable AI system that gives all the rights, and democratization of AI resources and capabilities so that all nations, especially the developing world and small businesses, transit from being onlookers or passive consumers of AI systems to become co-creators of AI that reflects and conforms with their developmental priorities, national values, and lived ecological AI experiences. This is a subtle way of bringing developing nations on the table for global AI engagement and dialogue.

With these observations, Xi has critically developed a world AI Governance system with fine lines that is accommodating, inclusive, mutually governed and controlled. It came with honest commitments. This proposal is a critical opportunity for the world and UN system to anchor accountability. It outlined commitments with agreed timelines, drawing strength from China’s zeal and commitment to build a shared community for mankind in the new era.

Opportunities for global south

Xi’s proposed Global AI Governance Initiative has raised a lot of questions to the global AI governance table. It is now left for the developing nations to identify the pressing needs they believe should shape their AI destiny and technology self-reliance aspiration. China has extended a helping hand as usual to help advance the AI standing of developing nations of the world which is more than a goodwill.

Xi pledged to aid Global South countries with capacity building to bridge the AI and digital divides, promote sustainable development, and prevent creating new historical injustice in AI.

Xi informed of providing developing nations with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programs; develop international AI application cooperation centers with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS; and enable 30 countries to use the AI-powered meteorological warning system, or MAZU, to safeguard homes around the world. This is a kind of lifeline and opportunity for developing nations to be part and parcel of global AI recompose and composition. It means that beyond presenting partnership opportunity for development, China is not only helping global south to develop, but at the same time developing them directly with their mouthwatering interventions and aggressively championing their growth and advancement.

However, based on Xi’s initiatives which cut across law, governance, control, digital rights and human rights, Global South nations bearing in mind the slow pace of AI progression in their domain should help push China’s AI Global Governance option to global stage which focuses on just, inclusive and accountable governance.

Viewing China’s offers critically and analytically, one will realize without equivocation that it is honestly striving not only to assist Global South get a space in global AI platform but to build its own platform in the emerging equitable world AI order being spearheaded by Beijing.

Global South should make it a priority to use this rare opportunity presented by Xi to build an institutional scheme and deep governance structures around their languages, data, and knowledge structures to stand the test of time. It should focus on building institutions that will outlive it and still be standing for a long time.

Strategic Roadmap

Narrowing it to profitability and data sovereignty for global south, it will enable them to profit from their rich languages, cultural heritage, and community knowledge, when they turn it to raw materials used to train massive, profitable AI models. They will not only own the data points, but decide how their stories are told and direct their AI destiny in a competitive world.

Again, data sovereignty counts as it shields nations from digital extraction from giant tech consortium with their monopolistic tendencies. More reason they should leverage and favour community stewardship rather than just big tech or single state control. Global South data should not be another unprocessed product that will be exported for others to refine and control.

Although, we are conversant with some capacity building offers from the west which turns out to be attractive in paper, and not in practice. Global South should wholeheartedly and honestly embrace China’s offer of 5000 Capacity Building opportunity which experts have described as pragmatic and capable of transforming Global South AI fortunes for good if properly harnessed and leveraged on. It embodies genuine training programs, knowledge exchanges, technical workshops, imparting seminars and other modernization opportunities. It will help global south increase its ability to build, own and scale, its own systems, govern its own infrastructure. Above all, China’s relationship with Global South nations has continued to flourish through decades of mutual respect, trust and productive cooperation.

More revealing, is that high tech conglomerates operate on periodical earnings, corporate capital timelines, and product rotations measured occasionally, but Xi’s proposal discusses long term plans in terms of generations, civilizations, sustainability and institutional continuity. Global South should as matter of reality and urgency adopt and guide Xi’s observations jealously as it encapsulates long-term system which emboldens massive competitive advantage.

Finally, digesting China’s position on AI governance, I am convinced that Global South nations by adopting Xi’s postulations will certainly achieve tech self-reliance in no distance time and be able to negotiate AI deals from position of strength, knowledge and in their own terms.

It is time global south stop waiting for the west to help it develop its AI potentials and achieve tech self-reliance through never ending talks of technology transfer which has become a mirage. Global South nations will achieve data freedom when they build strong and viable institutions with the capability of controlling their AI destiny, preserving their own culture, and participating in global gatherings as equal partners and negotiate from a position of strength. This is more reason the global south leaders should harken to Xi’s postulations and embrace the incentives offered by Beijing for just and equitable global AI governance system.