The Eight Initiatives
The plan, released as WAIC opened in Shanghai on Thursday, covers high-quality data supply through cross-border data spaces; inclusive computing access for developing countries powered by green energy; open-source ecosystem sharing through international AI communities; deep AI empowerment across sectors including healthcare, education, and agriculture; joint talent development; coordinated standards and regulations; collaborative safety governance; and an “AI for Good” initiative centered on ethics, transparency, and non-discrimination. CCgtn
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On data, the NDRC calls for “trusted cross-border data spaces in selected sectors to facilitate efficient, convenient, and secure cross-border data movement,” along with multilingual corpus sharing. The open-source initiative encourages joint international communities to share “general-purpose large models, foundational algorithms, and tool components,” while developing compliance frameworks and security guidelines. Kkucoin
Context and Timing
The action plan was released as the broader WAIC 2026 conference opened on July 17 in Shanghai, running through July 20. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech emphasizing a “people-centred” approach to AI development. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also arrived in Shanghai to attend. Pprnewswire
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The plan builds on China’s 2025 “Global AI Governance Action Plan,” which outlined 13 broader actions at last year’s WAIC, and the “AI Plus” domestic policy issued by the State Council in August 2025. According to Reuters, the conference comes as Washington and Beijing prepare for their first government-level AI talks under President Trump’s administration. Rreuters
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Strategic Implications
The action plan represents China’s effort to move from governance principles to concrete cooperation mechanisms, particularly targeting developing nations. It proposes providing “inclusive intelligent computing services to developing countries” and advancing “public scientific products for the Global South in support of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”. China also proposed the creation of a World AI Cooperation Organisation at last year’s conference, though no countries have formally joined. The signing ceremony for the organization’s establishment agreement took place on the eve of WAIC 2026. Rreuters
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