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19 September 2024

China's AI Governance: Engaging the Global South

Charis Liu

In June, Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the 60th anniversary of the UN Conference on Trade and Development calling for a truly multilateral approach to AI governance. He also reaffirmed China’s commitment to the global South. What is China’s strategy for promoting its approach to AI governance, and does it have a strategy specifically for engaging the global South on this issue?

Chinese strategy for AI governance on the global stage involves four key components. The first is that the PRC is pushing for a people-centered approach to developing AI, or what its leaders call yi ren wei ben, which has come up a lot in related policy documents that the PRC has published. The second emphasizes national sovereignty, which includes things like opposing the use of AI for ill purposes, manipulation of public opinion, and disinformation. The term national sovereignty is also linked to previous rhetoric on territorial integrity and digital sovereignty. The third component is related to a call for the establishment of testing and assessment of AI systems to prevent AI risks. The fourth one calls for more representation of developing countries in global AI governance. It emphasizes the role of the United Nations as a channel for communication and also welcomes “strengthening of North-South and South-South cooperation.”

While this all sounds great on paper, there are some levels of skepticism as to how these goals are brought into reality, given China’s domestic approach to AI governance.

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