Visitors line up at the entrance to a pavilion of WAIC 2026 in Shangai on July 16, 2026. Photo: VCG

The Chinese delegation submitted a position paper on the country's approach to global cyber governance in the digital intelligence era to the first meeting of the Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs, held from July 20 to 24 at the UN headquarters in New York, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. Experts said the position paper aims to guide artificial intelligence (AI), a powerful technological capability, to become a tool that benefits human society, rather than one to attack, control and suppress other countries.

Responding to a question on the matter at a regular press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that as the latest step to implement the Global Governance Initiative and build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, China submitted a position paper to the Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behavior in the use of ICTs to share China's latest position and propositions on global cyber governance in the digital intelligent age.

He noted this is another important principle after cyber sovereignty that China put forward on global cyber governance. The document stresses that all countries should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in cyberspace to jointly safeguard peace and stability. It also calls for upholding multilateralism and addressing effectively the disruptive impact of emerging technologies such as AI on cyber security, and formulate international cyberspace rules that keep pace with the times.



Inclusive proposal

The document points out that the digital intelligence revolution, with AI at its core, is developing rapidly. Cybersecurity concerns the sovereignty, security and development interests of all countries. The taboo of "cyber warfare" has been broken, industrial and supply chains have been artificially severed, and the digital intelligence world faces the danger of division and disorder.

Following the vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, China put forward three major propositions - abiding by international rules and safeguarding peace and stability, respecting digital sovereignty and jointly promoting inclusive development and upholding multilateralism and effectively addressing risks.

It specifies that all countries should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in cyberspace, prevent a cyber arms race, and refrain from using cyber means to damage other countries' critical infrastructure. Countries have the right to independently choose their paths of digital intelligent technology development including AI, as well as to independently choose AI technologies, products, and services in light of their respective national conditions. No country should be forced to take sides. Countries should not engage in any technological monopolies and exclusive arrangements, or pursue digital intelligence hegemony in the name of national priority.

International rules for cyberspace should be formulated in keeping with the times, and a global testing and evaluation standard and system for cybersecurity risk levels of large AI models should be established to ensure that AI becomes a new shield for cybersecurity, rather than a new tool for seeking hegemony, according to the document. 

The document concludes that a secure, stable and prosperous cyberspace is of great significance to all countries and the world. China stands ready to work hand in hand with the international community to strengthen communication and promote cooperation, jointly improve a more just, equitable and effective international order in cyberspace, and jointly build a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

Xiang Ligang, a veteran industry analyst, said that China's position paper represents not only a position on AI, but also a position on relations among countries: nations should respect each other and pursue common development, turning this valuable technology into a capability that enhances social capacity, improves social efficiency and reduces society operating costs.

"Therefore, at the very beginning of the rise of this capability, it is necessary to form institutional consensus and shared principles. AI should not become a tool for a few major powers or interest groups to control the entire world," Xiang said.

The position paper comes after the creation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) at the just-concluded 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai. Twenty-nine countries signed the agreement on the organization's creation as its founding members, Xinhua reported. 

With the arrival of the large language model era, how to define rules regarding data jurisdiction and control rights remains an issue that needs further improvement, Zhang Linghan, dean of the Institute of AI Law of China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times. "The most important aspect of China's approach to digital sovereignty is balancing security and development," said Zhang.

Hegemony a dead end

The position paper's release comes at a time when international media outlets have been paying increasing attention to the performance, cost advantages and rapid iteration of Chinese AI models. The Guardian on Tuesday reported that "It's been the general strategy of Chinese AI companies: open-source and open-weight models, beating US AI companies on price as Chinese manufacturers do."

The New York Times compared the US' and China's AI products strategy, saying that while "companies like Anthropic, OpenAI and Google hope to recoup their aggressive spending by selling increasingly useful but often expensive technologies to businesses and consumers, China is offering similar technology free of charge."

"The world is entering what we call the digital era. The only system that is truly independent from the US system is China's. In AI, China emphasizes genuine openness, serving the people, and balancing regulation, development and security. This is different from the US approach of 'all in AI' - China advocates 'AI in all,'" Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies, the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

Xiang pointed out that China's large models are developing rapidly with distinctive features, and a large number of enterprises are developing in different directions, which is precisely the value of open collaboration. US companies started earlier with a higher starting point, but the reason they are now resorting to suppression is anxiety that China has caught up.

The US administration's June 12 move to block non-US residents from Anthropic's most advanced models, Mythos and Fable, on national security grounds prompted the AI company to abruptly suspend access to the models globally, according to Reuters. European lawmakers redoubled their calls for digital independence from ⁠the US. 

"The US approach is US-dominated, turning AI into a weapon to attack, control and suppress others so that other countries can't develop. China's rules, by contrast, are common development, mutual support and mutual collaboration, turning AI into a valuable capability," Xiang noted.