China’s Li Qiang calls for global AI centre as US tech rivalry intensifies

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for the establishment of an international centre to better coordinate global cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and address the current “fragmented trend”.

The move comes as China looks to expand its influence in the new but rapidly evolving sector amid a bitter tech competition with the United States.

Opening the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday, Li said: “Currently, global AI governance is showing a fragmented trend overall, particularly with significant differences among nations in regulatory approaches, institutional frameworks and rules.

“We should enhance coordination and alignment to establish a widely accepted global governance framework for AI at an early date.”

Top AI scholars as well as industrial representatives from China and around the world are attending the three-day event in the Chinese financial and commercial capital.

Li’s proposal comes days after the US announced its own blueprint on AI development. The White House policy framework released on Wednesday aims to bolster American AI dominance through deregulation, infrastructure investment and expanding AI exports to allies in the technological arms race with China, described by President Donald Trump as a fight that will define the 21st century.