Xi Announces 5,000 AI Training Opportunities For Developing Countries at WAIC Opening

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday pledged 5,000 opportunities for AI training and seminars for developing countries over the next five years, among a series of steps to expand global cooperation on artificial intelligence.

Xi made the announcement in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.

He said the World AI Cooperation Organization, formally established in Shanghai a day earlier, was the product of joint efforts by the international community and China's response to calls from the Global South, describing it as an important milestone in the history of artificial intelligence and a major step toward advancing AI development and governance worldwide.

To deepen practical collaboration, Xi said China will set up international AI application cooperation centers with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS countries.

China will also extend the deployment of MAZU, its AI-powered meteorological early warning system, to 30 countries to strengthen disaster preparedness through smarter weather forecasting.

Launched in July 2025, the system has already been rolled out in countries including Pakistan and Djibouti.