Xi Eyes AI to Power Global South Alliances

AI Diplomacy Takes Center Stage

Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored artificial intelligence as a strategic tool to strengthen ties with the Global South, pitching joint development and digital infrastructure as foundational pillars. Xi’s comments arrive amid heightened competition with the United States, highlighting China’s ambition to boost technological leadership and deepen geopolitical partnerships outside the traditional Western bloc. He presented AI as both a risk and a shared opportunity, emphasizing the creation of “inclusive” governance models. China’s positioning of AI diplomacy signals a bold stride into the vacuum left by fraying Western alliances in the developing world.

Trading Chips for Influence

Xi’s remarks come at a time when China faces mounting U.S. sanctions and curbs on advanced chip technology, tightening the choke on its domestic tech growth. By leveraging AI collaboration with partner nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, China aims to sidestep Western dominance and shape alternative tech ecosystems. The push complements Beijing’s broader Belt and Road Initiative, with AI now emerging as its digital frontier. In essence, China is offering digital infrastructure in exchange for geopolitical influence—betting that long-term data access and algorithmic cooperation can outmaneuver trade isolation.