Your Excellency Secretary-General António Guterres ,
Your Excellency Vice Mayor Chen Jie,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends, 

Good Morning. On behalf of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, I would like to salute Secretary-General Guterres for attending the opening ceremony. I also wish to welcome the participants of the inaugural Workshop on AI Capacity Building and thank the Shanghai municipal government for making excellent preparations for the workshop. 

Around the world, AI technologies are breaking new ground, new business forms keep emerging, and new applications are mushrooming. Tremendous opportunities have arisen for the economic and social development of all countries. That said, AI technologies are also accompanied by risks and challenges. Developing countries are yet to benefit fully from AI development. As a matter of fact, the AI divide and the digital divide are making development more uneven among countries. There is a pressing need for the international community to enhance global AI governance and step up AI cooperation.  

President Xi Jinping put forth the Global AI Governance Initiative in October last year. China has thus contributed its proposal and wisdom on global AI governance, an issue of great relevance for our times. 

International cooperation on capacity building is a priority in global AI governance. In July, the U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus a China-sponsored resolution on “Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence”, i.e. A/RES/78/311. The resolution calls on all sides to increase capacity building cooperation, including policy exchanges, technical support, financial assistance, personnel training, and joint research. It is the first document on AI capacity building passed by consensus and a collective call from the international community.

China not only proposes ideas but also follows with action. We are delighted to co-host this workshop with the U.N. as a concrete follow-up to the UNGA resolution. Eminent experts and academics will give the workshop participants a full picture of the AI development trend, industrial application, global governance, and so on. There will also be seminars, site visits, and dialogues with business leaders. I hope you will enjoy your discussions on AI technologies, expertise and practical cooperation.

The Summit of the Future will be held at the U.N. later this month. China expects the Summit to be an opportunity to build greater consensus on AI and fully unleash the leading role of the U.N. in advancing global AI governance. During this year’s UNGA High-Level Week, China will host a high-level meeting on AI capacity building. We look forward to the participation of all countries.

Not long ago, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held its third plenary session in Beijing. At the session, overarching plans were unveiled for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. Shanghai is in the forefront of China’s reform and opening up endeavor. It is a window for the world to get to know China. With its defining features of openness, creativity and inclusiveness, the city showcases China’s progress in the new era. I hope you can find some time to explore the charm of this city and deepen your understanding of this country.

To conclude, I wish the workshop a full success!