In its latest white paper, China puts AI governance at the center of global governance vision

Artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as one of the key themes in a white paper released by the State Council Information Office on June 18,1 occupying a prominent place in the nation’s latest vision for reforming and improving global governance.

The white paper,2 titled “More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions,” identifies AI as both a major driver of development and a growing source of global governance challenges, calling for stronger international cooperation to ensure the technology develops in a safe, inclusive, and beneficial direction.

Throughout the document, AI governance is repeatedly cited as an emerging sector where existing global governance mechanisms remain inadequate. Misuse of AI has created new security risks, the white paper warns, arguing that the international community must move more quickly to establish rules and frameworks capable of keeping pace with technological advances.

“The existence of governance gaps in emerging fields – including artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and outer space – also demands attention,” the white paper says.

The document lays out China’s vision for AI governance through a series of principles, initiatives, and institutional proposals that together form one of the most comprehensive policy frameworks on the issue presented by Beijing to date.

The paper stresses that AI governance must uphold safety and ethical standards while maintaining openness, cooperation, and equitable access to technological opportunities, which reflects the core principle that AI should remain people centered and serve humanity’s common interests.

A particularly notable concept introduced in the document is equal rights to AI. The paper argues that AI development should not become the exclusive privilege of a handful of technologically advanced countries or corporations; instead, the benefits of AI should be shared more broadly so that all countries, especially developing nations, can participate in and benefit from the ongoing technological transformation.

Closely related to equal rights is China’s call to bridge the global “AI divide.” According to the white paper, disparities in technological capabilities risk creating a new layer of inequality between developed and developing countries. To address this challenge, China advocates expanded international cooperation, technology sharing, training programs, and capacity-building efforts aimed at strengthening AI capabilities in the Global South.

The document highlights China’s efforts to bridge the gap, including support for a United Nations General Assembly resolution on strengthening international cooperation in AI capacity building. It also points to the implementation of the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, which seeks to provide developing countries with greater access to AI knowledge, training, and technological resources.

China has also launched the International Friends Group for AI Capacity Building and promoted the Digital South brand under the Global Development Project Pool, according to the paper. Multiple training workshops, policy dialogues, and professional exchanges have already been organized to support developing countries in strengthening their technological capabilities.

Beyond capacity building, the white paper outlines China’s broader vision for creating a global governance architecture for AI.

It reiterates China’s support for the United Nations as the primary channel for global AI governance and calls for the development of a widely accepted international governance framework based on extensive consultation and broad participation.

Among the most significant proposals is China’s call for the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. The proposed organization is intended to provide an international platform for policy coordination, governance dialogue, technical cooperation, and capacity building, particularly for developing countries seeking to benefit from AI-driven development.