Global AI cooperation action plan bridges digital divide, forms full-chain collaborative framework

The newly-released action plan on artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation and development aims to bridge the widening global digital divide and establish a full-chain collaborative framework for the rapidly evolving technology.

The action plan, jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and other government departments during the ongoing 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, outlines actions in eight areas for joint actions, 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.

It provides a clear path and strong support for deepening global AI collaboration and tackling imbalanced AI development at a a time when global AI development faces significant regional imbalances, with developing countries heavily constrained by a lack of basic computing infrastructure.

"The action plan connects eight major sectors, builds a complete cooperative framework covering 'basic resources, technological ecosystems, industrial applications, and safety governance'. It will form a sustainable development model for global collaboration via a series of pragmatic collaborations in areas such as rules and standards, open-source communities, and talent development," said Huo Fupeng, director of the Innovation-Driven Development Center at the NDRC.

"By creating a full-chain cooperation plan that spans from computing power and data resources to industrial application and capacity building, it will improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of AI and help countries equally share the dividends of this new round of technological revolution," Huo added.

The plan also targets the cross-border risks of AI, including data misuse, deepfakes, and algorithmic bias. As these challenges have highly transboundary spillover effects, no single country can manage them alone.

"On the premise of respecting the sovereignty and developmental interests of all countries, the action plan fully consolidates consensus on governance, and promotes the healthy and orderly development of artificial intelligence in a beneficial, safe, and fair direction," said Huo.

The release of the action plan marks the latest in a series of global AI initiatives originating from the Shanghai-based conference. In recent years, WAIC has served as a platform for China to propose global frameworks, including the Shanghai Declaration on Global AI Governance and previous AI governance action plans.

This year, WAIC will runs from Friday to Monday under the theme of "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future."

Global AI cooperation action plan bridges digital divide, forms full-chain collaborative framework

Rally participants gathered in the Japanese capital on Aug 9, which also marked the 81st anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing, to voice strong opposition to the government's push to boost defense spending and revise the war-renouncing Article 9 of the national Constitution.

Holding anti-war placards, chanting anti-war slogans, protesters warned that remilitarizing the nation would betray its pacifist ideals and endanger future generations.

"Defense spending keeps increasing. Based on Article 9 of the Constitution, Japan pledged never to wage war again, yet it keeps strengthening its military. I find this extremely dangerous. They are also trying to revise Article 9. So I believe that for the sake of future young people and children, Article 9 must never be revised. Japan decided never to repeat the mistakes of waging a war after its defeat in WWII. I think we should continue to safeguard that commitment," said a rally participant.

For many in the crowd, the shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains a powerful moral compass as they believe that militarization offers no path forward for a nation that knows the devastation of war firsthand.

"Japan is the only country in the world to have suffered atomic bombings. Yet now Japan is going to deploy missiles. I believe Japan must never possess nuclear weapons," said another rally participant.

"I believe Japan has no future if it goes down the path of militarization. Nuclear weapons are absolutely bad for Japan," said a third woman, also a rally participant.

Beyond moral objections, some demonstrators said that Japan's economic vulnerabilities articulate that saber-rattling is a luxury the country cannot afford.

"I can't help but wonder what on earth a country with only a 36 percent food self-sufficiency rate would be fighting with. I have always been opposed to war, and I'm deeply dissatisfied with what the Takaichi administration is doing now," said another rally participant.

Other rally participants said that seeing revision of the Constitution could unleash unchecked military expansion, stripping away the very safeguards that have kept Japan at peace for eight decades.

"Article 9 of the Constitution is the key. If the nature of the Self-Defense Forces is elevated to a level beyond collective self-defense, which is explicitly written into the Constitution, it will allow the authority of the Self-Defense Forces to expand without limit. So no matter what, I want to prevent this from happening," said one more rally participant.

Japanese citizens rally against Takaichi's military expansion, constitutional revision