On November 24th, China held a "Linjia 7 Salon" press conference on its "Global AI Governance Initiative," with the head of the CAC's cyber security bureau (main AI regulators of CAC) and a deputy head of MIIT's science and technology department briefing the content and ramification of the initiative to Chinese and foreign media. The salon is a brand event organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association, a non-governmental organization under the direction of China's foreign ministry and led by Wu Hailong, a former Chinese ambassador to the EU. During the event, the CAC official criticized the “malicious blockade of the global artificial intelligence supply chain” and highlighted that “common development” of AI is a prerequisite of the “common governance” to AI. The official from the MIIT mentioned the Sino-US intergovernmental dialogue on AI, and promised that the MIIT will actively explore exchanges and cooperation in AI with the US government.
China released its “Global AI Governance Initiative” in October, right before the UK AI Safety Summit. It’s rare for China to use a "public policy" platform to brief foreign media on its position on AI governance. This suggests that it may have been an established KPI for government agencies like the MOFA, CAC, and MIIT to amplify China's voice and position on international AI governance, part of their efforts to promote Beijing’s role in global tech governance.
Interestingly, on November 26th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) today jointly released Guidelines for Secure AI System Development to help developers of any systems that use AI make informed cybersecurity decisions at every stage of the development process. According to the press release of the US department of homeland security, the guidelines were formulated in cooperation with 21 other agencies and ministries from across the world – including all members of the Group of 7 major industrial economies, and are the first of their kind to be agreed to globally. Not surprisingly, China has not been involved.
The guideline mentioned above is relatively technical and may not be taken seriously by the Chinese government. However, with AI becoming increasingly a force multiplier in today’s geopolitical environment, the competition between the West and China for dominance in global AI governance rulemaking is about to kick off.
CCTV covered the above press conference, and the transcripts are as follows:
How does China promote the development and governance of artificial intelligence? This press conference provides the answer:
The thematic exchange meeting on the “Global AI Governance Initiative” hosted by the China Public Diplomacy Association was held in Beijing yesterday. Relevant officials from the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology introduced China's position and practices in the development, security and governance of artificial intelligence, and Sino-US artificial intelligence cooperation to domestic and foreign media.
Gao Lin, director of the Cyber Security Coordination Bureau of the Central Cyberspace Administration of China, introduced that China’s “Global AI Governance Initiative” proposes constructive solutions to the development and governance issues of artificial intelligence that are of common concern to all parties, and also provides a blueprint for relevant countries to discuss and formulate rules. It is a solemn commitment made by China in promoting the development and application of artificial intelligence in a safe manner.
Director of the Cyber Security Coordination Bureau of the Central Cyberspace Administration of China, Gao Lin: “We always adhere to an open and cooperative attitude, and welcome governments, international organizations, enterprises, research institutions, civil society organizations, individuals and other entities to carry out communication and practical cooperation. At the same time, we also put forward some Chinese proposals, such as adhering to the issues of equality and mutual benefit, respecting sovereignty, and artificial intelligence open source, and opposing malicious blockade of the global artificial intelligence supply chain. Since everyone is talking about the common governance of artificial intelligence, if we cannot develop together, how can we govern together? If there are barriers in the process of development, how can we talk about common governance? So this is an important aspect.”
Regarding the new trend of Sino-US artificial intelligence cooperation, Liu Bochao, deputy director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that during the China-US summit, the two sides agreed to establish an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will actively implement the results of the China-US summit and explore exchanges and cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence with the US side.
Liu Bochao, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: “China has the world's largest consumer market and industry application market. We sincerely hope that China and the United States will deepen exchanges and cooperation in artificial intelligence technology, and work together to promote the innovative and healthy development of artificial intelligence.”
The Chinese foreign ministry also released a press release, which was shared on the official WeChat blog of the China Public Diplomacy Association.
On November 24th, 2023, the "No. 7 Salon of Linjia" held a special press conference on the "Global artificial intelligence governance initiative". Gao Lin, Director of the Cyber Security Coordination Bureau of the Central Cyberspace Administration, Liu Bochao, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, was invited to give a press conference. Huo Ying, Secretary-General of the China Public Diplomacy Association, presided over the conference. Media from countries such as the US, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore, as well as domestic media reporters such as Xinhua News Agency, China National Radio and Television Station, China News Service, and Global Times, attended. Gao Lin and Liu Bochao comprehensively introduced the main content, far-reaching significance, and development of China's artificial intelligence industry, and had exchanges with medias.