Chinese President Xi Jinping stepped into full focus at the APEC leaders’ meeting on Saturday, using the moment to champion a global system for governing artificial intelligence and to offer China as a strategic counterweight to the United States on trade and technology cooperation.
In his first detailed push behind the proposal announced earlier this year, Xi called for the creation of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation — a body he said could guide global AI development, set shared governance standards, and ensure AI becomes a “public good” for all nations. The United States, meanwhile, has pushed back against efforts to build AI regulation through international institutions, preferring domestic-first approaches.
“Artificial intelligence is of great significance for future development and should be made for the benefit of people in all countries and regions,” Xi said in remarks released by Xinhua.
US President Donald Trump did not attend the summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, returning to Washington after bilateral talks with Xi. Their meeting resulted in a one-year agreement to scale back certain trade and tech restrictions — a step aimed at easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Analysts had expected Xi to seize on Trump’s absence to promote China’s vision of inclusive trade partnerships and cross-border economic cooperation. That message aligned with Beijing’s broader push to build global technology influence — including advancing lower-cost AI models through Chinese developer DeepSeek as it pursues “algorithmic sovereignty.”
Xi also urged APEC members to support the free flow of green technology, an area where China already plays a dominant global role across solar, battery, and electric vehicle industries.
Leaders at the summit approved a joint declaration and agreements on AI cooperation and demographic challenges. China will host the 2026 APEC summit in Shenzhen — a city Xi highlighted as a symbol of China’s rapid rise, from fishing village to global tech hub in just four decades.
APEC represents 21 economies accounting for roughly half of global trade.
