Xi Jinping to attend World AI Conference for first time as China elevates tech push

President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai and deliver a keynote address, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday. The Chinese leader’s attendance will mark his first in-person appearance at the annual event since it was launched in 2018, signalling the growing priority Beijing places on AI to drive economic growth, technological competitiveness and global rule-setting. Xi previously sent a...