On July 17, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance at the World Expo Hall in Shanghai.

Speeches were also delivered by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres said AI could become humanity's greatest opportunity in the 21st century and that a brighter future depends on partnerships. He thanked China for convening the conference in that spirit, and made his message clear: technological progress must be shared. China has a crucial role to play in that, he added, and all countries must shoulder the responsibility.