China Offers 5,000 AI Training Slots to Developing Countries, Launches Global Governance Push

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

China has announced plans to offer developing countries 5,000 opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) training and seminars over the next five years, as President Xi Jinping called for a new global system to ensure that the rapidly advancing technology does not deepen inequality between rich and poor nations.

Xi made the announcement on Friday at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, where he unveiled a broad international cooperation agenda targeting AI development, capacity building and governance.

The Chinese leader also announced plans to establish international AI application cooperation centres with the African Union (AU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the League of Arab States, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS.

In a major initiative with potential implications for Africa, China said it would also enable 30 countries to use MAZU, an AI-powered meteorological warning system designed to help protect communities from extreme weather and other climate-related threats.

Xi said the measures were part of China’s effort to ensure that artificial intelligence becomes a tool for shared prosperity rather than a new source of global inequality.

He warned that the rapid development of AI had created enormous opportunities but also presented complex questions over security, ethics, human control and access.

“AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” Xi said, stressing that no nation should be left behind in the emerging technological revolution.

According to him, the world must develop a people-centred approach to AI and build a global governance framework that ensures the technology is used “for the positive, for good and for humanity.”

The Chinese president outlined four priorities for the global AI order: openness and win-win cooperation to promote innovation; stronger risk awareness to ensure AI remains safe and controllable; inclusiveness and respect for cultural diversity; and greater solidarity through multilateral cooperation.

He said countries must establish laws, regulations, monitoring systems, early-warning mechanisms and emergency responses to prevent the abuse or malicious use of AI.

Xi also warned against allowing artificial intelligence to become another arena for geopolitical confrontation, urging countries to reject attempts to place one nation’s security above the security of others.

The Chinese leader placed particular emphasis on the Global South, saying international cooperation was essential to bridge the widening AI and digital divides and prevent the creation of “new historical injustice” in the development of frontier technologies.

He said China would continue to support international efforts to build AI capacity, noting that Beijing had backed United Nations initiatives on AI cooperation and capacity building, while also advocating the creation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO).

According to Xi, WAICO has now been established in Shanghai, describing the development as a major step in responding to calls from developing countries for greater participation in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

The announcement comes as countries across Africa, including Nigeria, intensify efforts to build digital economies, develop local technological capacity and harness AI for sectors ranging from education and healthcare to agriculture, security and public administration.

Xi said China was ready to work with countries around the world to ensure that AI development remained under human control and was guided by international consensus.

“AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” he said.

He added that China would remain open to deeper collaboration with other countries in seizing the opportunities and addressing the risks created by the technology.

The 2026 World AI Conference is taking place at a time when governments and technology companies are racing to shape the rules governing AI, amid growing concerns over misinformation, autonomous systems, privacy, cybersecurity, job displacement and unequal access to advanced technology.

Xi said the central challenge before the international community was to ensure that AI becomes “a mighty force that increases the well-being of humanity and advances human civilisation.”