Chinese Foreign Minister at UN: Opposes Using a Single Set of Values as the Sole Standard for AI Governance, Happy to Share China's Practices in AI Testing and Regulation

In March of this year, the United Nations General Assembly passed an AI resolution led by the United States, with participation from over 120 countries, calling for the global promotion of safe, reliable, and trustworthy AI systems. According to U.S. officials, the resolution was reached through "intense discussions" among countries with differing views. Despite the fierce competition between the U.S. and China in the field of AI—particularly with the U.S. imposing export controls and investment restrictions on Chinese AI—China supported this U.S.-led UN resolution.

In July, China also submitted a resolution to the UN General Assembly titled "Enhancing international cooperation on capacity-building of artificial intelligence" According to China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, this resolution is "complementary" to the U.S.-led one. He noted that while the U.S.-led resolution is "more general," China’s focuses on capacity building. The U.S. supported China’s proposed resolution.

China has consistently advocated for the UN to serve as the primary platform for discussions on global AI governance and has sought to incorporate the perspectives of developing countries into these discussions. Last year, China proposed the "Global AI Governance Initiative," asserting that all nations, regardless of size, strength, or political system, have the right to equally develop and utilize AI. The UK’s Bletchley Summit invited China to participate, and it is almost certain that China will send a delegation to the second AI Summit in Paris in February next year. The U.S. plans to host an AI summit in San Francisco in November after the presidential election, though it is unclear whether China has been invited or whether it will attend.

Nonetheless, China continues to advance its work in the area of "enhancing international cooperation on capacity-building of AI". During the 79th UN General Assembly general debate, China and Zambia co-hosted a "High-level Meeting on International Cooperation on Capacity-building of Artificial Intelligence" on September 25, where China announced the "AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All." The meeting was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Indonesian Coordinating Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, and high-level representatives from over 80 countries and international organizations.

Regarding the "Inclusion Plan," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained that the plan aims to bridge the intelligence gap and promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The plan is centered on cooperation in areas especially anticipated by the Global South, such as AI infrastructure, industry empowerment, talent development, data construction, and safety governance. It outlines "five major visions" and "ten key actions" China will undertake, including promoting the interconnection of AI and digital infrastructure, conducting research and model development, building datasets, and enhancing strategic alignment and policy exchanges in AI. China plans to host ten AI-related training and seminar projects for developing countries by the end of 2025. To further implement the Inclusion Plan, China has also proposed the establishment of a "Group of Friends for International Cooperation in AI Capacity Building."

During the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, Wang Yi delivered a speech titled "Promoting Inclusive Development, Bridging the Intelligence Gap." In his speech, Wang emphasized that global AI governance should follow three key principles: comprehensive balance, fairness and inclusiveness, and multilateralism. Wang pointed out that "favoritism or selective approaches" in global AI governance are neither appropriate nor feasible; AI is a shared wealth of humanity and should adhere to principles of openness without barriers, connectivity without decoupling, and equality without discrimination. He stressed that the benefits of AI should be shared by all countries, and AI should not be used as a tool to maintain hegemony or pursue advantages.

Wang also underscored the need for an inclusive AI governance mechanism within the framework of the United Nations, where all countries can participate equally, rather than “imposing governance standards based on a single set of values,” which would only create divisions and obstacles. Finally, Wang expressed China's willingness to cooperate with other nations in ensuring AI is safe, reliable, and controllable, enhancing strategic alignment and policy exchanges in AI, and sharing best practices in AI testing, evaluation, certification, and regulation to jointly address AI-related ethical and security risks.

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Transcript of the full speech of Wang Yi:

Your Excellency President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia,

Your Excellency Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan of Indonesia,

Your Excellency Minister of Science and Technology Felix Mutati of Zambia,

Your Excellency Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed,

Colleagues and friends:

Congratulations on the convening of the United Nations' first high-level meeting focused on strengthening international cooperation for artificial intelligence (AI) capacity building. In July this year, the 78th United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution on enhancing international cooperation in AI capacity building, co-signed by 143 member states. This fully reflects the urgent desire of countries, especially from the Global South, to participate in AI development and governance, and to strengthen international cooperation in capacity building. The immediate priority is to push forward the implementation of the resolution, bridge the digital divide, and contribute to achieving the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

As a key player in the global development of AI, China has always adhered to developing AI for the good of humanity, with the aim of enhancing people's well-being and serving economic and social development, while avoiding the misuse and abuse of AI technology.

We insist on developing AI that is safe and controllable, creating technologies that are supervised, traceable, and trustworthy, constantly improving laws and regulations to ensure that AI remains under human control.

We are committed to developing green and low-carbon AI, continuously exploring innovative models of resource-saving and environmentally-friendly AI development, and promoting AI to empower the green transformation of economic and social development.

Colleagues and friends,

AI development is both a significant global opportunity and a major global challenge. In October 2023, President Xi Jinping proposed the "Global AI Governance Initiative," offering China's solutions and contributing China's wisdom to address the pressing question of "how AI should be developed and governed" in the current era. To work together toward a smarter future, China believes that promoting global AI governance should follow the following principles:

1. Insist on comprehensive balance. AI governance involves various aspects, including ethical values, security governance, standards and norms, capacity building, and institutional mechanisms. It should be advanced comprehensively with a systematic approach, enhancing coordination and building a global governance framework for AI. Selective or imbalanced approaches are neither desirable nor feasible.

2. Insist on fairness and inclusiveness. AI is a shared asset of humanity. We must remain open, without building walls, interconnected without decoupling, and treat all equally without discrimination. Together, we should create an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for AI development, so that the benefits of AI can be shared by all countries. AI should not, and cannot, become a tool for maintaining hegemony or pursuing advantages.

3. Insist on multilateralism. There is only one system and one set of rules in the world, with the United Nations at its core. A mechanism for global AI governance that allows for the broad participation of all nations should be established within the UN framework, enabling equal participation and equal benefits for all countries. Using one's own values as the sole criterion for judgment only creates artificial divisions and barriers, hindering humanity's collective response to new challenges.

Colleagues and friends,

China is actively promoting international cooperation in AI capacity building. We are both advocates and implementers. Within just two months of the General Assembly resolution's adoption, the Chinese government and the UN Secretariat co-hosted the first AI capacity-building seminar in Shanghai, with active participation from representatives of nearly 40 countries, achieving positive outcomes. I am pleased to announce China's "AI Capacity Building Inclusion Plan," which will focus on five key visions widely expected by the Global South and implement ten key actions. The main points include:

1. Promoting AI and digital infrastructure connectivity. China is willing to work with countries, particularly developing nations, to cooperate in AI infrastructure construction and improve the global layout of interoperable AI and digital infrastructure.

2. Advancing AI+ empowerment across industries. China is willing to cooperate on AI model development and empowerment, establish an international cooperation platform for AI capacity building, and jointly build an open-source AI community with a responsible attitude, creating a diverse and positive AI development ecosystem tailored to local needs.

3. Enhancing AI literacy and talent training. China will provide short and medium-term AI education and training programs for developing countries, promoting AI literacy and professional knowledge through a combination of online and offline methods. By 2025, we plan to host ten AI training workshops for developing countries.

4. Improving AI data security and diversity. China is willing to work with countries, especially developing nations, on AI corpus construction, promoting and improving data infrastructure, protecting cultural diversity, and ensuring the fair and inclusive use of global data.

5. Ensuring AI is safe, reliable, and controllable. China is ready to strengthen AI strategic alignment and policy exchanges with all parties, actively sharing policy and technical practices in AI testing, evaluation, certification, and regulation, and jointly addressing AI ethics and security risks.

To advance the implementation of the relevant General Assembly resolution and the Inclusion Plan, China proposes the establishment of a "Group of Friends for International Cooperation in AI Capacity Building" and welcomes all countries to actively support and participate.

Colleagues and friends,

Looking back, the world has been closely interconnected by the development of the Internet. Looking forward, AI will further unite countries in a shared destiny. In the process of AI development and governance, all nations should support one another and move forward together, ensuring equal rights, opportunities, and rules for all, and leaving no country behind. Let us work together to promote international cooperation in AI capacity building, empower the common development of all nations with wisdom, and actively contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity!

Thank you all!

MOFA Spokesperson Comment:

Reporter’s Question: We have noticed that during the 79th UN General Assembly general debate, China and Zambia co-hosted the "High-Level Meeting on Strengthening International Cooperation in AI Capacity Building," and China also announced the "AI Capacity Building Inclusion Plan." Could you explain why China proposed this plan and what actions will be taken to implement it?

Lin Jian's Response: On September 25th local time, the "High-Level Meeting on Strengthening International Cooperation in AI Capacity Building," co-hosted by China and Zambia, was successfully held at the UN Headquarters in New York. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended and delivered a speech. The meeting was attended by high-level representatives from more than 80 countries and international organizations, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan. Participants exchanged in-depth views on strengthening international cooperation in AI capacity building and reached broad consensus.

The "AI Capacity Building Inclusion Plan" proposed by China has received strong support and positive responses from all sides. The plan aims to bridge the intelligence gap and help achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It focuses on areas that are especially anticipated by the Global South, such as AI infrastructure, industry empowerment, talent development, data construction, and safety governance. The plan outlines five major visions and specifies ten actions China will take, including promoting the interconnection of AI and digital infrastructure, conducting model development and application cooperation, and enhancing strategic alignment and policy exchanges in AI. China plans to hold ten AI training and workshop programs for developing countries by the end of 2025. To advance the implementation of the plan, China has also proposed the establishment of a "Group of Friends for International Cooperation in AI Capacity Building."

Earlier this year, China successfully promoted the adoption of a UN resolution on international cooperation in AI capacity building, and held the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on AI Global Governance, as well as the first AI Capacity Building Seminar. The Inclusion Plan proposed this time aligns with these previous actions, reflecting China's leadership role in the global AI development and governance space. We are willing to work with the international community to ensure the implementation of the plan, enabling all countries to share the benefits of AI and move together toward a smarter future.

AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All

To bridge the AI and digital divides, especially to help the Global South benefit equitably from AI developments, China believes it is important to uphold the central and coordinating role of the United Nations (U.N.) in international development cooperation, pursue true multilateralism, fully implement the U.N. General Assembly Resolution on Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence (A/RES/78/311), and promote the implementation of the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation and based on the principles of sovereign equality, development orientation, people-centred, shared benefits and inclusiveness, and multi-party coordination and cooperation. To this end, China proposes the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, and calls on all parties to step up investments in AI capacity-building.

I.Vision and Goals

1. Promote AI and Digital Infrastructure Connectivity

Improve the global layout and interoperability of AI and digital infrastructure, actively assist all countries, especially those in the Global South, to develop AI technologies and services, and help the Global South truly access AI and keep up with the pace of AI advancements.

2. Empower Industries Through the AI Plus Application

Explore ways for AI to empower the real economy across all fields, chains and scenarios to advance the empowering application of AI in areas such as industrial manufacturing, traditional agriculture, green transition and development, climate change response, and biodiversity conservation, and build robust and diverse ecosystems that enable the sound development of AI for the greater good based on local realities.

3. Enhance AI Literacy and Strengthen Personnel Training

Actively promote the application of AI in education, carry out exchange and training of AI professionals, increase the sharing of expertise and best practices, promote AI literacy among the public, protect and strengthen the digital and AI rights of women and children, and share AI knowledge and experience.

4. Improve AI Data Security and Diversity

Jointly promote the orderly and free cross-border flow of data in accordance with the law, explore the possibility of the establishment of a global data-sharing platform and mechanism, and protect personal privacy and data security. Promote equality and diversity in AI data sets to eliminate racism, discrimination, and other forms of algorithmic bias, and promote, protect, and preserve cultural diversity.

5. Ensure AI Safety, Reliability and Controllability

Uphold the principles of fairness and nondiscrimination, and support the establishment of global, interoperable AI risk assessment frameworks, standards and governance system under the framework of the U.N. that take into account the interests of developing countries. Conduct joint risk assessment on AI R&D and applications, actively develop and improve technologies and policies to address AI risks, and ensure that the design, R&D, use and application of AI contribute to the well-being of humanity.

II.China's Actions

—China is ready to engage with all countries on AI capacity-building cooperation, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, jointly implement the outcomes of the U.N.'s Summit of the Future, actively work with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to jointly develop AI infrastructure, build joint laboratories.

—China is ready to carry out cooperation on the R&D of AI models and the empowering application of AI, especially in areas such as poverty reduction, health care, agriculture, education and industrial manufacturing, to deepen international cooperation on AI industry and supply chain, and to unlock the dividends of AI as a new quality productive force.

—China is ready to work with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to tap the potential of AI in green development, climate change response and biodiversity conservation, thereby contributing to global climate governance and sustainable development.

—China is ready to establish an international cooperation platform for AI capacity-building, and Chinese AI industries and industrial alliances are ready to engage in diverse forms of exchange with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to share best practices, build open-source and inclusive AI communities in a responsible manner, and foster a multilevel cooperation ecosystem that encompasses various forms of business.

—The Chinese government will hold short and medium-term AI capacity-building programs for fellow developing countries, share relevant AI education resources and jointly carry out AI education and exchange programs to help them cultivate high-caliber professionals in AI technology and its applications.

—The Chinese government is ready to strengthen assistance and cooperation with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, on relevant human resources cooperation. Building on the first Workshop on AI Capacity-Building this year, the Chinese government will hold 10 AI workshops and seminars primarily aimed at fellow developing countries by the end of 2025.

—China is ready to work with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to promote AI literacy among the public, disseminate AI knowledge and expertise across multiple dimensions, at multiple levels and by multiple means, both online and offline, and strive to improve AI literacy and skills within their populations, with a particular focus on protecting and advancing the digital rights of women and children.

—China is ready to work with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to develop AI language or data resources, take proactive steps to eliminate racial, algorithmic and cultural discrimination, and promote, protect, and preserve linguistic and cultural diversity.

—China is ready to work with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to develop and improve data infrastructure and promote the fair and inclusive use of global data.

—China is ready to work with other countries, especially fellow developing countries, to better synergize AI strategies and strengthen policy exchanges, actively share policies and technical practices in AI testing, evaluation, certification, and regulation, and jointly address AI risks related to ethics, safety and security.