China will work with the founding members for the operation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) as soon as possible, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a related query.
"On July 16, the Signing Ceremony of the Agreement on the Establishment of WAICO was held in Shanghai. On behalf of the Chinese government, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi attended the ceremony and signed the agreement. Representatives from 29 countries, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia and Indonesia, signed the agreement as founding members. Secretary-General Guterres and other representatives from various countries and international organizations also attended the ceremony. China always acts on the Global AI Governance Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping, takes a people-centered approach and develops AI for the positive and for good so as to promote the global AI governance," he said.
Just as President Xi said on Friday morning at the Opening Ceremony of WAIC, the establishment of WAICO in Shanghai is a major move by China to answer the call of the Global South and unite the international community together to promote vigorously AI development and governance. It will be an important milestone in the history of AI development, Lin said.
"China is committed to advancing global AI governance under the UN framework, promoting the adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution on Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity Building of Artificial Intelligence by consensus, and supporting the implementation of the Global Digital Compact and UN Sustainable Development Goals. China will work with the founding members for the early operation of the organization," he said.
"The WAICO initiative is yet another example of China’s efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity and implement the Global Governance Initiative. China will work with various parties to follow the purposes of the UN Charter, act on the vision of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, take the people-centered approach, and enhance alignment and coordination on AI development strategies, governance rules and technical standards, so as to strengthen international cooperation and global governance on AI, promote the sound and orderly development of AI and make sure it is a force for good, safety, and fairness," he said.
China to work with founding members for early operation of WAICO: spokesman
China's postal sector handled a total of 108.89 billion parcels in the first half of the year, up 4.2 percent year on year, according to data released by the State Post Bureau on Friday.
Express delivery accounted for the lion's share, with a volume reaching 100.38 billion, up 5 percent year on year.
As demand for their services booms, delivery companies have continued to deepen their collaborative development with advanced manufacturing firms, exploring innovative solutions.
Jiajiang County in Leshan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, is China's primary production area for calligraphy and painting paper, accounting for more than 60 percent of the nation's output. Distributing these products across the country requires significant logistical resources.
Express delivery providers have integrated warehousing centers into Jiajiang's paper production facilities, equipping them with smart shelving and barcode-scanning outbound systems to achieve an ultra-fast response from order placement to goods dispatch. The collaboration has streamlined the entire supply chain from production, warehousing, e-commerce, and packaging to shipping and after-sales service.
It has also effectively resolved the efficiency and cost bottlenecks previously caused by the fragmented operations of manufacturing enterprises.
"In the past, we had to repeatedly travel back and forth between merchants and clients to pick up and deliver goods, which increased transportation costs and damage rates. Now, we provide one-on-one service directly to the express sorting center, completing the day's workload on the spot," said Huang Chao, general manager of ZTO Express Co., Ltd in Jiajiang County.
Since the express service was integrated into the factories, companies in the sector have seen their average daily shipment volume double from around 4,000 pieces to around 8,000, significantly reducing transportation costs and damage rates.
This year, the county plans to replicate this model in specialty industries such as ceramics, tea, and poultry and eggs, further unleashing the synergistic potential of industrial collaboration.
Wang Yuehan, director of the Industrial Economics Department at the Development Research Center of the State Post Bureau, said industry upgrading has helped bolster the efficiency and development the sector.
"In the first half of the year, industrial integration continued to deepen. The industry optimized and upgraded its delivery service offerings to precisely meet the differentiated needs of various consumer groups, effectively driving steady growth in express delivery volumes and providing a positive boost to the development of the real economy. In the second half of the year, as consumer potential is released and service areas are expanded, the industry's momentum is expected to accelerate, and its overall development will continue to maintain a positive trend of steady progress and improving performance," she said.
China's postal delivery volume up 4.2 pct in H1
