Xi Jinping Offers AI Training to Global South, Warns on Security

Chinese President Xi Jinping positioned his country as an AI development partner for the Global South at the World AI Conference in Shanghai on Friday, announcing concrete training initiatives while taking aim at technology export controls.

Xi pledged that China will provide 5,000 AI training and seminar opportunities to developing countries over the next five years. Beijing also plans to expand AI cooperation with regional blocs including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union, and BRICS.

New international AI organization launches

The announcement came one day after 29 countries signed an agreement in Shanghai to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), which will be headquartered in the city, according to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua.

Xi framed AI development as requiring international collaboration rather than unilateral action. He said AI progress should be a "symphony of international cooperation" rather than a "solo performance" by any single country, and that China was "ready to be more open, take more practical actions, and assume a more visionary perspective."

Veiled criticism of US export controls

While not naming the United States directly, Xi warned against "overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI, or placing one country's security over that of others." He called for a "people-centered" approach to AI governance and emphasized that AI should remain "secure and controllable" and "always remains under human control."

The remarks appeared directed at US export control measures that have restricted China's access to advanced computing chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. These restrictions began during President Donald Trump's first term and expanded under the Biden administration, which cited national security concerns when implementing 2022 controls on advanced chip sales to China.

The impact has been substantial. Nvidia reported in its annual report that it was "effectively foreclosed from competing in China's data center computing/compute market" as of fiscal year 2026, unable to create products that satisfy both Beijing and Washington. The company noted that exclusion from the Chinese market has helped competitors build larger ecosystems to challenge Nvidia globally.

Why it matters

China's push to position itself as an AI partner to developing nations represents a strategic effort to build influence and set norms in regions where Western technology companies have less presence. By offering training and cooperation frameworks through WAICO, Beijing is creating alternative pathways for AI development that bypass US-led technology restrictions. This competition over AI governance and access will shape which technical standards, safety frameworks, and data practices become dominant in emerging markets—with long-term implications for both commercial opportunities and geopolitical alignment.

These details were first reported by CNBC.