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China proposes framework to govern AI development

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AI governance still 'fragmented', China's Li says

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Premier warns AI could become 'exclusive game' for few

countries

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Li says China wants to share its AI development with

others

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China releases AI governance action plan

(Recasts headline, paragraphs 1-3, adds details in paragraphs

5-6, comments from vice foreign minister in paragraph 11)

By Brenda Goh

SHANGHAI, July 26 (Reuters) - China said on Saturday it

wanted to create an organisation to foster global cooperation on

artificial intelligence, positioning itself as an alternative to

the U.S. as the two vie for influence over the transformative

technology.

China wants to help coordinate global efforts to regulate

fast-evolving AI technology and share the country's advances,

Premier Li Qiang told the annual World Artificial Intelligence

Conference in Shanghai.

President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday

released an AI blueprint aiming to vastly expand U.S. AI exports

to allies in a bid to maintain the American edge over China in

the critical technology.

Li did not name the United States but appeared to refer to

Washington's efforts to stymie China's advances in AI, warning

that the technology risked becoming the "exclusive game" of a

few countries and companies.

China wants AI to be openly shared and for all countries and

companies to have equal rights to use it, Li said, adding that

Beijing was willing to share its development experience and

products with other countries, particularly the "Global South".

The Global South refers to developing, emerging or lower-income

countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere.

How to regulate AI's growing risks was another concern, Li

said, adding that bottlenecks included an insufficient supply of

AI chips and restrictions on talent exchange.

"Overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries

have great differences particularly in terms of areas such as

regulatory concepts, institutional rules," he said. "We should

strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework

that has broad consensus as soon as possible."

SHANGHAI HEADQUARTERS

The three-day Shanghai conference brings together industry

leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological

competition between China and the United States - the world's

two largest economies - with AI emerging as a key battleground.

Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced

technology to China, including the most high-end AI chips made

by companies such as Nvidia ( NVDA ) and chipmaking equipment,

citing concerns that the technology could enhance China's

military capabilities.

Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI

breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from U.S.

officials.

China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu told a roundtable of

representatives from over 30 countries, including Russia, South

Africa, Qatar, South Korea and Germany, that China wanted the

organisation to promote pragmatic cooperation in AI and was

considering putting its headquarters in Shanghai.

The foreign ministry released online an action plan for

global AI governance, inviting governments, international

organisations, enterprises and research institutions to work

together and promote international exchanges including through a

cross-border open source community.

The government-sponsored AI conference typically attracts

major industry players, government officials, researchers and

investors.

Saturday's speakers included Anne Bouverot, the French

president's special envoy for AI, computer scientist Geoffrey

Hinton, known as "the Godfather of AI", and former Google CEO

Eric Schmidt.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has in past years

regularly appeared at the opening ceremony in person or by

video, did not speak this year.

Besides forums, the conference features exhibitions where

companies demonstrate their latest innovations.

This year, more than 800 companies are participating,

showcasing more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language

models, 50 AI-powered devices and 60 intelligent robots,

according to organisers.

The exhibition features predominantly Chinese companies,

including tech giants Huawei and Alibaba ( BABA ) and startups

such as humanoid robot maker Unitree. Western participants

include Tesla, Alphabet and Amazon ( AMZN ).