Xi delivers keynote speech at 2026 World AI Conference

As US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of exploiting US election data in a televised speech in Washington, halfway across the world in China, Xi Jinping was sending a very different message.

Xi Jinping marked his first in-person attendance at the World ​Artificial ‌Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, where Xi shared China's vision of AI diplomacy to challenge US dominance in the sector.

Xi Jinping spearheads China’s AI push

Beijing has responded by making technological self-reliance a national priority and accelerating the development of domestic alternatives across hardware and software.