Opinion

A New AI Governance Option for the Global South

Last week, the 2026 World AI Conference and High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance was held in Shanghai, where China presented the world with a systematic AI governance and cooperation framework, building a broad platform for the Global South.

Emerging markets and developing economies have contributed over two-thirds of global GDP growth for three consecutive years, yet they have long been absent from the AI governance table. The governance model dominated by the U.S. and Europe, centered on “safety first, values-based access, and club-style consultations,” sets a high threshold for the Global South—these countries can neither afford the high-end computing power and compliance costs nor possess the negotiating resources to participate in drafting the rules.

The Chinese approach directly addresses these pain points, guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China advocates solidarity to improve global governance and stresses the need to “avoid creating new historical injustices in the field of artificial intelligence.” It champions genuine multilateralism with the United Nations at its core, offering a path distinct from the U.S.-European model and expanding space for the Global South.

During the conference, 29 countries signed an agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), permanently headquartered in Shanghai. Its founding members are mainly from the Global South, Central Asia, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. WAICO neither affects cooperation with third parties nor imposes additional restrictions. China also released the Action Plan for AI Cooperation and Development, proposing eight actions, including high-quality data supply, inclusive intelligent computing power, and open-source ecosystem sharing—practical measures that respond to the UN’s initiatives on strengthening international AI cooperation.

The Chair’s Statement of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance reached a consensus covering 15 points. This consensus goes beyond simply ensuring the Global South can use AI; it demonstrates an intent to integrate the Global South into the economic division of labor in the AI era.

From the Global AI Governance Initiative to the establishment of WAICO and the implementation of the action plan, the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind is taking root and growing in the field of AI governance. The Global South now has an institutionalized platform that starts from its own needs, ensures equal participation, and pursues shared development—proving that China’s declaration of “leaving no one behind” is being translated into action.

Policy

1. Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and several other departments issued a notice announcing the implementation of the fifth round of the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program (take community-level posts in education, agriculture, health care and rural vitalization) for college graduates from 2026 to 2030. Under this program, 36,400 college graduates will be selected each year to serve at the grassroots level and in western regions.

2. The Ministry of Water Resources recently issued the Three-Year Action Plan for Hydrological Modernization (2026-2028), proposing to further optimize the national hydrological station network system by 2028, enhance the three-dimensional perception capability for rainfall and water regime forecasting and monitoring, and expand the integration and connectivity of the “three defense lines” to cover all major river basins with flood control tasks.

3. Recently, the People’s Bank of China added RMB 100 billion to its relending quota for supporting agriculture and small businesses. This aims to guide and encourage financial institutions to increase credit support for business entities in disaster-affected areas such as Guangxi, Hubei, Gansu, and Zhejiang, particularly micro and small enterprises, self-employed individuals, as well as agricultural and livestock breeding enterprises and rural households.

Data

1. According to the People’s Bank of China, financial aggregates grew reasonably in the first half of the year. At the end of June, the broad money (M2) balance grew 8.0% year on year, continuing to outpace nominal GDP growth.

2. According to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, in the first half of the year, banks’ cross-border receipts and payments on behalf of customers totaled USD 9.2 trillion, up 21% year-on-year. Banks’ foreign exchange settlement and sales amounted to USD 2.9 trillion, up 24% year-on-year. Both figures were record highs for the same period.

3. In the first half of the year, imports and exports of the nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area reached RMB 5.3 trillion, up 20.9% year-on-year. This growth rate outpaced the national overall growth rate by 4 percentage points, accounting for 20.8% of the nation’s total foreign trade value and contributing 24.9% to the national growth during the same period.

4. The latest data from the State Post Bureau shows that in the first half of the year, the delivery and courier business volume of the postal sector reached 108.89 billion items, up 4.2% year-on-year. Of this total, express delivery volume exceeded 100 billion items, reaching 100.38 billion items, an increase of 5.0%.

5. According to China State Railway Group, fixed-asset investment in railways nationwide totaled RMB 363.2 billion in the first half of the year, up 2.1% year-on-year. It plans to put over 2,000 kilometers of new rail lines into operation within 2026.

6. As the world’s largest single container terminal, the Yantian Port area saw its container throughput surpass 8.3459 million TEUs in the first half of the year, up 10% year-on-year, setting a new record high for the same period.

7. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in the first half of the year, the civil aviation sector completed a total transport turnover of 83.37 billion ton-kilometers, handled 380 million passenger trips, and handled 5.073 million tons of cargo and mail, representing year-on-year increases of 6.4%, 1%, and 6%, respectively.

8. According to Shenzhen Customs statistics, Shenzhen’s total imports and exports in the first half of the year reached RMB 2.88 trillion, up 33% year-on-year. Both its total foreign trade and export scale ranked first among Chinese mainland cities.

9. In the first half of the year, China’s trade with ASEAN reached RMB 4.34 trillion, up 18.2% year-on-year.

10. Data shows that in the first half of 2026, Shanghai’s foreign trade reached a record high of RMB 2.55 trillion, up 18.6% year-on-year. Exports surpassed the RMB 1 trillion mark for the first time, reaching RMB 1.14 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 20.1%.

(Source: Economic Daily)