China released on Friday an action plan for artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation and development, as part of broader efforts to strengthen international AI collaboration and bridge the digital divide.
The action plan was jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and other central government departments at the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.
The document outlines actions in eight areas covering data, computing power, ecosystems, industrial empowerment, talent development, rules and standards, governance and AI ethics.
It calls for greater access to high-quality data, more inclusive intelligent computing services, and broader sharing of open-source AI ecosystems.
The action plan also seeks to promote deeper AI application across industries, joint cultivation of digital talent, coordinated development of rules and standards, stronger cooperation on AI security and governance, and the development and use of AI for the benefit of humanity.
Also released at the conference was a collection of case studies on China's international AI cooperation.
Published for the third consecutive year, the collection features 10 stories showcasing China's cooperation with partners around the world, highlighting the country's experience and approach in promoting global AI development.
The 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance runs from Friday to next Monday, bringing together official representatives, business leaders, scholars and researchers from more than 100 countries and international organizations.
China issues action plan for AI cooperation, development
Days after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug 10, families in Cali, the worst affected city, are confronting heartbreaking obstacles simply to lay their loved ones to rest.
Cali's morgue sustained damage in the quake and was forced to close operations after part of the Hospital Universitario del Valle collapsed. As a result, recovered bodies must be transported to the neighboring town of Palmira, which escaped structural destruction.
The influx has severely overwhelmed Palmira's facilities, leaving them short on refrigeration capacity. Grieving relatives waiting outside must wear masks as they endure agonizing waits, caught in a system operating far beyond its designed capacity.
While some families have managed to bid a painful farewell and gained a measure of closure, such as the relatives of Maria Esmeralda Ordonez in Cali, countless others remain in painful limbo.
"Thankfully it's not turned out like it has for others who today are still fighting to rescue loved ones, people who are still lying beneath the rubble. The chances of survival are very slim, but miracles are happening," said Ivan Delgado, a relative of Maria Esmeralda Ordonez.
For many families whose relatives have been recovered, the ordeal is far from over. They must navigate the bureaucracy that comes with a death.
Securing the release of a body requires a prosecutor's order, an accompanying undertaker, and a considerable amount of paperwork -- a grueling process compounded by a system operating well beyond its capacity.
Camilo Mendez, a relative of victims, knew this pain firsthand after an agonizing three-day wait to claim the bodies of his aunt and grandmother.
"From the information we've gotten here and there, you can really tell we're not prepared for this kind of event. Moving the bodies, all of it, it was very slow, very disorganized. My grandmother and my aunt were in one place, then another. It was pretty chaotic, honestly," said Mendez.
To support the exhausted crowds, volunteers and psychologists have set up tents near the Palmira facility, offering comfort and counseling.
"It's an exhausting process. You're here waiting for an answer, and no one knows when it will come. There are people with one, five, six relatives they can't find. A body may be recovered today, another tomorrow, and that's how it's gone," said Alison Morales, a volunteer psychologist.
"The community has been extraordinary, all kinds of donations, the communal kitchen, water for the people waiting," she added.
Although Palmira itself was spared the worst of the earthquake -- sustaining cracks on a few buildings and no fatalities -- it has absorbed the profound, far-reaching grief of a region struggling to bury its dead.
Families face heart-breaking delays burying victims of Colombian earthquake
