Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai and deliver a keynote speech, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.
It is the first time China’s leader has appeared at the country’s flagship AI event, and it comes at a moment when Beijing has been busy restricting overseas access to its best models and Washington has been busy accusing it of copying American ones.
The conference runs from 17 to 20 July, alongside a High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance. Xi has previously left the event to his premier, which is the customary division of labour for a trade show. His presence changes what the week is.
Chinese state media has been signalling scale for weeks. Organisers expect more than 1,400 guests, including executives, investors, and academics, along with 12 government ministries, eight national laboratories, and more than 300 global product debuts. The theme is “AI Partnership for a Brighter Future”, which tells you precisely as much as it is meant to.
The high-level governance meeting is the part worth watching. It is a diplomatic format rather than an exhibition hall, and it exists to convene delegations, more than 10 international organisations among them, around a Chinese-drafted agenda.
