AI & Algorithm Governance

At the 2026 World AI Conference, President Xi Jinping announced the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) and presented four observations: openness, risk awareness, inclusiveness, solidarity [14][10]. The NDRC simultaneously released the AI Cooperation and Development Action Plan, detailing eight actions on data, computing power, open ecosystems, talent, standards, safety, and ethics [5][2]. A complementary international AI ethics governance action plan was also issued under the UN Pact for the Future framework [12].

Hong Kong's Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry provided granular details: the city's current computing power stands at 5,000 PFLOPS, with the Sha Tin data park set to deliver 180,000 PFLOPS (36x current) [6]. He further outlined Hong Kong's AI ecosystem anchored on three innovation parks, five R&D institutions, and the InnoHK platform hosting 16 AI and robotics labs with nearly 1,200 researchers [3][6]. Separately, CreateHK funded a third round of AI-assisted animation production, granting up to 850,000 HKD per project [9].

The promotion-control balance remains heavily tilted toward promotion: WAICO institutionalizes China's global AI diplomacy, and no new domestic content-control measures have emerged. A concrete example of China's AI diplomacy is the MAZU meteorological system, which uses AI to help Pakistan improve extreme weather forecasting [8]. The international ethics governance plan could lay groundwork for future domestic rules, but current signals remain overwhelmingly promotional.