China Sets Ambitious Agenda for AI in High-Level CPC Politburo Study

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a group study session on Friday afternoon focused on "strengthening the development and regulation of artificial intelligence."

The speaker for this Politburo group study session was Professor Zheng Nanning from Xi'an Jiaotong University. Zheng is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He initiated the "China Intelligent Vehicle Future Challenge," which has been dubbed the "Whampoa Military Academy" of China's autonomous driving and intelligent vehicle research.

As early as 1986, Zheng Nanning, together with his master's advisor Professor Xuan Guorong, established the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at Xi'an Jiaotong University—the first dedicated research institution for artificial intelligence in China—pioneering AI research and high-level talent cultivation domestically. In 2008, when the National Natural Science Foundation of China launched the major research program on "Cognitive Computing of Audiovisual Information," Zheng served as the head of the advisory expert group. This program strongly supported China's deep development in fundamental AI research.

In addition to his lecture during this session, Zheng Nanning also offered work recommendations.

Xinhua News Agency published an official report summarizing the key points of President Xi Jinping's remarks during the session, which can be broken down into several main themes:

Strategic Positioning of AI:

Xi emphasized that artificial intelligence is a strategic technology leading a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. He also acknowledged that China still has notable shortcomings in areas such as basic theories and core technologies.

Key to Gaining an Edge in AI:

To seize opportunities and gain advantages, China must achieve breakthroughs in fundamental theories, methods, and tools. Xi called for concentrating resources on two fronts:
(1) Continuously strengthening basic research and overcoming bottlenecks in critical technologies like advanced chips and foundational software, building autonomous and collaborative AI hardware and software systems.
(2) Leveraging AI to drive a paradigm shift in scientific research and accelerating innovation breakthroughs across various fields.

Building an Enterprise-Led Collaborative Innovation System:

Traditionally, China's scientific and technological innovation has relied heavily on "national teams," especially universities and research institutes. However, recent years have seen calls for technologically capable enterprises to take on greater responsibilities in AI development, as exemplified by companies like Huawei in fields such as semiconductors and operating systems. This group study marks the first time that the top leadership has explicitly endorsed this direction, giving it significant weight.

China’s Four Major Advantages in AI Development:

Xi outlined four strengths:
(1) Rich data resources;
(2) A complete industrial system;
(3) Vast application scenarios;
(4) A huge market space.
He stressed the need to coordinate the construction of computing power infrastructure and to deepen the development, utilization, and open sharing of data resources.

Policy Support for AI:

Xi emphasized the importance of comprehensive policy support for AI, leveraging tools such as intellectual property rights protection, fiscal and tax policies, government procurement, and facility access.

Talent Development for AI:

Xi highlighted that talent is the key element for AI development. He stressed promoting AI education at all levels and expanding public AI literacy, continuously cultivating a high-quality talent pool. Improvements in talent evaluation and career support mechanisms should be made to create favorable conditions and platforms for talents to realize their full potential.

Domestic AI Regulation:

Xi called for accelerating the formulation and improvement of laws, regulations, policies, application standards, and ethical guidelines related to AI. He stressed the need to build systems for technology monitoring, risk early warning, and emergency response to ensure AI development is safe, reliable, and under control. This suggests that China will likely tighten AI regulations in the coming years with more rules and frameworks being introduced.

International AI Governance:

Xi emphasized that AI should serve as an international public good that benefits humanity. He outlined two main directions for China's participation in global AI governance:
(1) Actively carrying out international AI cooperation and helping Global South countries enhance their technological capabilities;
(2) Promoting coordination and alignment among various parties on development strategies, governance rules, and technical standards, to form a broadly accepted global governance framework and regulatory standards as soon as possible.

Xi Jinping Stresses at the 20th Group Study Session of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau: Uphold Self-Reliance, Highlight Application-Driven Development, and Promote the Healthy and Orderly Advancement of Artificial Intelligence

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 26) — On the afternoon of April 25, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held its 20th group study session focused on strengthening the development and regulation of artificial intelligence.
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the session and emphasized that, in the face of the rapid evolution of next-generation AI technologies, China must fully leverage the advantages of its new nationwide system, uphold self-reliance and self-strengthening, maintain an application-driven orientation, and promote the healthy, orderly, and beneficial development of AI in a safe and equitable direction.

Professor Zheng Nanning from Xi'an Jiaotong University delivered a lecture on the topic and offered policy recommendations. Members of the Political Bureau listened carefully and engaged in discussions.

Following the lecture and discussions, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech.
He pointed out that artificial intelligence, as a strategic technology leading a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, is profoundly reshaping human production and lifestyles. The Party Central Committee has attached great importance to the development of AI, and in recent years has improved top-level planning, strengthened deployment efforts, and promoted a comprehensive and systematic leap in China's overall AI capabilities.
At the same time, Xi acknowledged that shortcomings remain in basic theories and key core technologies. He stressed the need to recognize these gaps, double down on efforts, fully advance AI scientific and technological innovation, industry development, and empowered application, improve regulatory systems and mechanisms for AI, and firmly seize the initiative in AI development and governance.

Xi emphasized that in order to seize opportunities and gain an advantage in the AI field, China must achieve breakthroughs in fundamental theories, methods, and tools. He called for continuously strengthening basic research, concentrating resources to overcome bottlenecks in critical technologies such as high-end chips and foundational software, and building independent, controllable, and collaboratively operating AI basic hardware and software systems.
Moreover, Xi urged the use of AI to drive a paradigm shift in scientific research, thereby accelerating innovation breakthroughs across various fields.

Xi further noted that China possesses abundant data resources, a complete industrial system, wide-ranging application scenarios, and a massive market.
He called for deeply integrating AI technological innovation with industrial innovation, building an enterprise-led collaborative innovation system that unites industry, academia, research, and application. Such efforts should help upgrade traditional industries and open up new tracks for the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries. Xi also emphasized the need to coordinate the construction of computing power infrastructure and to deepen the development, utilization, and open sharing of data resources.

Xi stressed that, as a new technology and new field, policy support for AI is extremely important. Comprehensive use of various policy tools—including intellectual property rights protection, fiscal and tax policies, government procurement, and infrastructure access—should be strengthened to create favorable conditions for AI development.
He highlighted the need to promote AI education across all educational stages and enhance AI literacy across society, continuously cultivating a large pool of high-quality talent. Xi also emphasized improving the mechanisms for supporting scientific research, career development, and talent evaluation to provide platforms and opportunities for all kinds of talents to fully realize their potential.

Xi pointed out that while AI brings unprecedented development opportunities, it also introduces unprecedented risks and challenges. It is necessary to grasp the development trends and inherent laws of AI, accelerate the formulation and improvement of related laws, regulations, policy systems, application standards, and ethical guidelines, and establish systems for technological monitoring, risk early warning, and emergency response, ensuring that AI development remains safe, reliable, and under effective control.

Finally, Xi emphasized that artificial intelligence can serve as an international public good for the benefit of all humanity. China should actively engage in international cooperation on AI, help developing countries—particularly in the Global South—strengthen their technological capabilities, and contribute to bridging the global AI divide. He also called for promoting the alignment and coordination of development strategies, governance rules, and technical standards among countries, working toward the early formation of a widely accepted global governance framework and set of standards for AI.