{"id":400,"date":"2025-09-01T04:02:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T04:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/xi-ai-cooperation-sco-summit\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T04:02:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T04:02:22","slug":"xi-ai-cooperation-sco-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/xi-ai-cooperation-sco-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Xi pushes AI cooperation, rejects Cold War mentality at record SCO summit"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>On <time datetime=\"2025-09-01\">Sept. 1, 2025<\/time> in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to deepen collaboration on artificial intelligence and to steer clear of a &#8220;Cold War mentality.&#8221; Addressing the bloc\u2019s largest gathering to date\u2014with more than 20 foreign leaders in attendance\u2014Xi highlighted $84 billion in Chinese investment across fellow SCO countries and pledged support for 10,000 trainees via Beijing\u2019s Luban vocational program, as the two-day summit moved toward a joint statement.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Xi called for stronger AI cooperation within the SCO and warned against a return to a Cold War frame of mind.<\/li>\n<li>The Tianjin summit is the largest in SCO history, drawing 20+ leaders, including Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin and India\u2019s Narendra Modi.<\/li>\n<li>China says it has invested $84 billion in other SCO countries to date.<\/li>\n<li>Beijing will back 10,000 students through the &#8220;Luban&#8221; vocational education initiative.<\/li>\n<li>Xi is expected to meet Putin this week; Putin is due in Beijing for an 80th-anniversary World War II military parade.<\/li>\n<li>Over the last two days, Xi met at least 10 visiting leaders, including Turkey\u2019s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Cambodia\u2019s Hun Manet.<\/li>\n<li>Xi met Modi on Saturday in Tianjin; both sides underscored partnership over rivalry, according to official readouts.<\/li>\n<li>A joint statement is expected at the end of Monday\u2019s session, with China\u2019s top diplomat Wang Yi to brief the press in the evening.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Verified Facts<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking in Tianjin on Monday, Xi framed artificial intelligence as a shared opportunity for SCO members and argued the bloc should resist a &#8220;Cold War mentality.&#8221; The session gathered more than 20 foreign leaders, making it the largest SCO summit to date. High-profile attendees include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n<p>Xi said China has committed $84 billion in investment to partner countries across the SCO and promised support for 10,000 students through the Luban vocational education program. He positioned the summit as a chance to launch a new phase of &#8220;high-quality&#8221; cooperation and development.<\/p>\n<p>Diplomatic choreography around the summit is significant: Xi is expected to meet Putin this week, and the Russian leader is scheduled to remain in China for a military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the end of World War II. The SCO\u2019s two-day meeting is slated to produce a joint statement on Monday, and China\u2019s foreign minister Wang Yi plans a press conference in the evening local time.<\/p>\n<p>Xi has already met at least 10 visiting leaders over the preceding 48 hours, including Turkey\u2019s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Cambodia\u2019s Hun Manet. On Saturday, Xi met Modi in Tianjin, and both sides affirmed the importance of being partners rather than rivals, according to official readouts from Beijing and New Delhi.<\/p>\n<h2>Context &#038; Impact<\/h2>\n<p>The call for AI collaboration lands as major powers and regional blocs compete to shape global AI rules, standards, and safety norms. By positioning the SCO as a venue for cooperation, Beijing signals it wants the bloc to influence how AI is developed, deployed, and governed across Eurasia.<\/p>\n<p>The summit unfolds amid persistent U.S.\u2013China trade and technology tensions, Russia\u2019s ongoing war in Ukraine, and regional instability tied to the Israel\u2013Hamas conflict. Against this backdrop, China is presenting itself as a mediator while reinforcing ties with SCO members\u2014a group that includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and several Central Asian states, with membership expanding in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Economically, the cited $84 billion underscores deepening cross-border finance and infrastructure links\u2014many associated with Belt and Road projects. The Luban program\u2019s 10,000 trainees point to a talent-building push that could support cooperative AI projects, manufacturing upgrading, and digital public services within the bloc.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Potential AI cooperation areas: cross-border research, safety evaluation, data-sharing frameworks, standards-setting, and talent exchanges.<\/li>\n<li>Risks and sensitivities: data governance differences, export controls, and alignment challenges among diverse legal systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>By the numbers<\/th>\n<th>Figure<\/th>\n<th>Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Attending leaders<\/td>\n<td>20+ <\/td>\n<td>Largest SCO summit to date<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>China\u2019s investment in SCO countries<\/td>\n<td>$84 billion<\/td>\n<td>Cumulative figure cited by Xi<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Luban program trainees<\/td>\n<td>10,000<\/td>\n<td>Supported by Beijing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Summit duration<\/td>\n<td>2 days<\/td>\n<td>Concludes Monday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>WWII anniversary<\/td>\n<td>80 years<\/td>\n<td>Military parade in Beijing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Host city<\/td>\n<td>Tianjin<\/td>\n<td>Main summit venue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><figcaption>Key figures highlighted during the Tianjin summit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Official Statements<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Xi urged SCO members to strengthen AI cooperation and avoid a &#8220;Cold War mentality.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Xi Jinping, opening remarks in Tianjin<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Stable, mutually respectful cooperation between India and China is necessary for both countries\u2019 development.<\/p>\n<p><cite>India\u2019s Ministry of External Affairs, readout after the Xi\u2013Modi meeting<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization?<\/summary>\n<p>The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping that brings together major Asian powers and Central Asian states. It focuses on regional stability, counterterrorism, trade, connectivity, and, increasingly, technology cooperation.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What is the &#8220;Luban&#8221; program?<\/summary>\n<p>China\u2019s Luban program partners with institutions abroad to provide vocational training in fields such as advanced manufacturing and engineering. The 10,000-student pledge extends this technical skills pipeline across SCO countries.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The scope, governance, and timeline of any SCO-wide AI cooperation framework have not been detailed.<\/li>\n<li>The precise contents of the forthcoming joint statement were not available at publication time.<\/li>\n<li>Any new economic or security agreements, beyond previously announced initiatives, remain unannounced.<\/li>\n<li>The breakdown and timing of the $84 billion investment figure were not disclosed.<\/li>\n<li>The exact schedule and agenda for the expected Xi\u2013Putin bilateral were not formally released.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>Xi used the record-size SCO summit to pitch AI collaboration as a unifying project while rejecting Cold War framing. Whether the meeting yields concrete steps\u2014on AI standards, talent programs, or new economic initiatives\u2014will hinge on the joint statement and follow-through by member states.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the summit underscores Beijing\u2019s bid to shape regional rules and partnerships at a moment of intensifying geopolitical competition and evolving technology governance.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eng.sectsco.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SCO Secretariat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmprc.gov.cn\/eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People\u2019s Republic of China<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mea.gov.in\/press-releases.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ministry of External Affairs, India<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Sept. 1, 2025 in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to deepen collaboration on artificial intelligence and to steer clear of a &#8220;Cold War mentality.&#8221; Addressing the bloc\u2019s largest gathering to date\u2014with more than 20 foreign leaders in attendance\u2014Xi highlighted $84 billion in Chinese investment across fellow SCO &#8230; <a title=\"Xi pushes AI cooperation, rejects Cold War mentality at record SCO summit\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/xi-ai-cooperation-sco-summit\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Xi pushes AI cooperation, rejects Cold War mentality at record SCO summit\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Xi pushes AI cooperation at record SCO summit | Global Wire","rank_math_description":"At the largest SCO summit in Tianjin, Xi urged AI cooperation and rejected a 'Cold War mentality,' citing $84B in SCO investment and 10,000 Luban trainees.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Xi Jinping,SCO summit,AI cooperation,Cold War mentality,Luban program,Putin","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}